Matla Power Station

Matla Power Station
Location of Matla Power Station in South Africa
Country South Africa
Location Mpumalanga
Coordinates 26°16′57″S 29°8′27″E / 26.28250°S 29.14083°E / -26.28250; 29.14083Coordinates: 26°16′57″S 29°8′27″E / 26.28250°S 29.14083°E / -26.28250; 29.14083
Commission date 1983
Owner(s) Eskom
Power generation
Units operational 6[1]
Nameplate capacity 3,600 Megawatt[1]

Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is a coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom and consuming the output from the Matla coal mine.

History

Construction started in 1974, and the last unit was commissioned in July 1983. In 1982 the southern most smokestack measuring 276 metres (906 ft) in height was demolished after it partially collapsed during construction, killing 4 workers. It held the world record for the tallest free standing structure to be explosively demolished [2] for 24 years until the 2006 demolition of the 300 metres (980 ft) Westerholt Power Station[3] chimney.

The actual explosion was also used in a gag in Jamie Uys' Funny People 2, where an electrician is instructed to do some wiring, and is warned that improper connection will cause the stack to explode.[4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "MATLA POWER STATION". Eskom. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  2. ↑ "Implosion World Records". ImplosionWorld. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  3. ↑ http://rawstory.com/news/2006/Experts_demolish_300_metre_power_st_12032006.html
  4. ↑ "Funny People II". IMDB.
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