The 1,200MW power station was initially commissioned in 1969 with six units. The plant was mothballed in 1990 due to excess power in the country at that time.
The reopening of the power station, situated close to the town of Balfour, in Mpumalanga, would assist to reverse the electricity difficulties the country had been experiencing since 2007.
South African President Jacob Zuma said, "Grootvlei Power Station adds to the progress we are making with Eskom’s return-to-service projects which also include Camden and Komati power stations.
"We are pleased that this station, which was built in the late 1960’s and was mothballed in 1990 due to excess power at the time, is being returned to service following the R7,2 billion upgrade."
South African minister of public enterprises Malusi Gigaba said, "This Government remains committed to ensure that Eskom is able to satisfy electricity demand in South Africa, first, and beyond.
"We are all aware that Eskom has many challenges related to plant maintenance, securing the correct quality of coal and delays in the new build programme.
"However, as Government, we are confident that we can turn things around with the measures and strategies we have put in place to make sure that electricity supply capacity grows to meet rising demand as our country pursues its growth rate targets."
Currently, the workforce of the power station is comprised of 476 Eskom employees, 45 labour broker employees and 1,127 contractor employees.
