POWER October 2015 - 9

the world's small OTEC sector is hampered by high capital costs
and problems getting access to financing. " Currently, Makai is
aimed at reducing costs and improving the economics of both
mid-sized and large-scale offshore OTEC plants, " it said. " In order
to attract investments to build a plant of that size, developers
will first need to validate the technology of a 5-10 megawatt
offshore OTEC plant for several years. "
According to a recent report on ocean energy technology from
the European Commission, that project will be one of a handful
under development. Others include a 5-MW facility under development
in the Bahamas, for which the Bahamas Electricity Corp.
has already signed a power purchase agreement; a 1.5-MW project
that is being tested on Reunion Island; and a 10-MW onshore
plant planned for a large resort on Hainan Island in China by
defense firm Lockheed Martin. A 13-MW project planned by the
U.S. Navy on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean has been stalled.
" Economic performance of an OTEC plant will depend very much
on its specific configuration and location, " the report's authors
underscored.
Kuwait to Inject $9.9B into Power Sector
to Alleviate Electricity Shortages
Kuwait's government in August approved the construction of several
power plants and desalination facilities to boost its capacity
by 3,580 MW.
Like its oil- and gas-rich neighbors in the Gulf Cooperation
Council region, Kuwait is seeing a power shortage owing to its
growing population and economy. With only five power plants,
the country has experienced disruptive blackouts. This February,
for example, a blackout shut off the lights in most of the country
when a failed cable caused the 1.8-GW Subbiya plant to trip.
Plans approved in August include a second 1.8-GW phase for
the gas-fired Az-Zour North integrated water and power plant;
the first 1.5-GW phase of the oil- and gas-fired Khairan power
plant; and the 280-MW Al Abdaliyah hybrid power plant, of which
60 MW will be from solar and the rest from gas. However, the
government did not set a timeline for when the plants should
come online.
Also like its neighbors, Kuwait is looking to boost its renewable
capacity. To achieve targets to generate 15% of its energy by
2030 with solar, it will put up to 100 solar facilities online. Plans
include completing a 70-MW solar project in the Shagaya desert
zone west of Kuwait City by next year.
First Unit of Long-Delayed, Behemoth
Medupi Coal Plant Inaugurated
Power-strapped South Africa on Aug. 30 celebrated the inauguration
of its first new power plant in 20 years, putting online Unit
6 of Eskom's long-delayed 4.8-GW Medupi facility.
Construction of the $7.89 billion power plant near Lephalale
in Limpopo province was begun in 2007, but completion has
been paralyzed by a number of mishaps, including strikes, technical
issues, and cost overruns. Unit 6-originally planned for
synchronization in 2011-is nearly four years behind, and the
plant won't be fully operational until the first half of 2019. Unit
5 is expected to come online within eight to nine months. When
complete, Medupi will be the world's largest dry-cooled coal plant
and is expected to have a 50-year-lifetime.
Yet, for state-owned Eskom, opening of the first 780-MW unit
is a boon (Figure 3). In line with the power plant's name (a
Sepedi word meaning, " rain that soaks parched lands " ), Unit 6
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POWER October 2015

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