Construction on Hendrina-Gumeni transmission line to start in December

State-owned power utility Eskom has gone out to tender for the construction of the 400 kV Hendrina-Gumeni transmission line, in Mpumalanga, with work expected to start at the beginning of December.

The 83 km line would stretch from the 400 kV switchyard at the Hendrina power station, about 40 km south of Middelburg, in Mpumalanga, to the Gumeni transmission substation in the vicinity of the town ofWaterval Boven.

About 70% of the line would run parallel to the Arnot-Gumeni 275 kV transmission line.

"The Hendrina-Gumeni line has been divided into two sections for construction purposes, and we are targeting two separate suppliers, with the aim of creating more jobs," Eskom representative Beauty Skosanatold Engineering News Online.

The two sections would be constructed simultaneously over a 12-month period, she added.

The Hendrina-Gumeni transmission line has been identified as a vital link to strengthen the national grid in Eskom's North East region.
"This line is specifically required to prevent a potential voltage collapse and unstable transformation problems on the existing transmission network,"  the power utility said.

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