GCCA-2016 - Eskom

May 2013
Generation Connection
Capacity Assessment of
the 2016 Transmission
Network (GCCA-2016)

i
Disclaimer
The publication of the Generation Connection
Capacity Assessment of 2016 Transmission
Network (GCCA-2016) is to inform stakeholders
of the potential capacity available on the Eskom
Transmission Network to facilitate connection of
generation projects. The Generation Connection
Capacity Assessment is based on the information
currently available and is subject to change.
The information contained in this document does not
constitute advice. It is a guideline to assist stakeholders.
Eskom Holdings SOC Limited makes no representations
regarding the suitability of the information to be used
for any other purpose. All information is provided
“AS IS” without warranty of any kind and is subject
to change without notice. The entire risk arising out
of its use remains with the recipient. In no event
shall Eskom Holdings SOC Limited be liable for any
direct, consequential, incidental, special, punitive, or
any other damages whatsoever.
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
While the Generation Connection Assessment of
2016 Transmission Network (GCCA-2016) will be
updated periodically, Eskom Holdings SOC Limited makes
no representation or warranty as to the accuracy,
reliability, validity, or completeness of the information
in this document.
Eskom does however endeavour to release the
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
based on its best available information at its
disposal at all times to ensure that the stakeholders
are kept informed about the developments in
the transmission network. Thus, the information
contained in this document represents the most
up-to-date information that was available at the time
it was released.

Executive Summary
The Intergraded Resource Plan (IRP 2010-2030)
has allocated 17 800 MW of solar and wind
generation projects in line with the Government’s
commitment to reducing emissions. One of
the challenges for the integration of renewable
energy (RE) generation has always been the cost
of integration and the time-lines for creating grid
capacity to accommodate RE generation, therefore
the location of the RE plants in relation to the grid
is very important. However, the proximity of the
plant on its own is not sufficient if the grid does not
have the capacity to connect the RE generated. This
study was commissioned to determine the grid’s
capacity to connect all types of generation plant at
high-voltage (HV) busbars of the Main Transmission
System (MTS) substations in 2016. Although most
RE connections will be at Distribution level, the lack
of capacity in the Transmission network may delay
the connection of new generation.
A previous study was done to determine the 2012
connection capacity of the Transmission grid, where
the study focused on the Eastern Cape, Western
Cape and Northern Cape. This 2016 study was
extended to include all MTS substations in the
country. Studies on both steady-state and transient
stability limits were conducted to determine the
grid’s connection capacity. Stability limits are typically
important when considering the integration of
multiple RE generation sources in an area, but for
individual applications the steady-state limit could
be sufficient.
MTS substations supply specific geographic areas, and
this fact was taken into account when considering
the connection capacity, based on the assumption
that RE plants in a supply area will probably be
connected to the MTS substation supplying that
area. The MTS is divided into 27 supply areas
located in all 9 provinces.
The geographic location of the supply areas and
their generation connection capacity, indicating
both the steady-state N-1 limit and the stability
limit, are shown in Figure A.
The generation connection capacities in Figure A
indicate what capacity the Transmission grid can
connect without violating the Grid Code’s technical
criteria for generation integration. The Grid Code
states that the National Transmission Company
(NTC) shall provide quotations for connection. The
grid connection capacity will provide a guideline for
the generation capacity that the grid can connect
for Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and for
Eskom. This study will also assist the NTC with
determining the requirements for the new capacity
that should be created in certain areas to cater for
the applications received from IPPs.
The results indicate that the grid has the capacity
to connect high levels of RE generation, provided
that the RE points are spread around the country.
Although the grid appears to have enough capacity
to integrate all the IRP requirements, care will
have to be taken to ensure that, at a local level
where IPP applications are concentrated in certain
areas, the grid will have enough capacity, while
highlighting areas with available grid capacity to
connect with IPPs.
Stability limits for large-area integration indicate
that Limpopo and North West combined will be
transiently stable for 10 GW of new generation, the
entire KwaZulu-Natal area can connect 17 GW, and
the Cape area (Northern, Southern and Western)
will be stable for 15 GW.
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 ii

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Figure A: Generation Connection Capacities (steady-state/stability) for the 2016 Grid
List of abbreviations
CSP Concentrating Solar Power
DoE Department of Energy (Government of South Africa)
GCCA Grid Connection Capacity Assessment
HV busbar High Voltage busbar of a substation (> 132 kV at Transmission level)
IPP Independent Power Producer
LV busbar Low Voltage busbar of a substation (

Contents
Executive Summary ii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Context of the Generation Connection Capacity 1
1.2 Structure of the document 1
2 Background 2
3 Methodology and Interpretation 3
3.1 Methodology of calculation 3
3.2 Interpretation of the connection capacity value 4
4 Definition of Transmission Connection Capacity 5
5 Supply Areas by Province: Connection Capacity 6
5.1 Eastern Cape 7
5.2 Free State 8
5.3 Gauteng 9
5.4 KwaZulu-Natal 10
5.5 Limpopo 11
5.6 Mpumalanga 12
5.7 North West Province 13
5.8 Northern Cape 14
5.9 Western Cape 15
6 Generation Connection Capacity by Supply Area 16
6.1 Bloemfontein area 16
6.2 Carltonville area 17
6.3 East London Bisho area 17
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 iv

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6.4 Empangeni area 17
6.5 Highveld North area 17
6.6 Highveld South area 17
6.7 Johannesburg area 18
6.8 Karoo area 18
6.9 Kimberly area 18
6.10 Ladysmith area 18
6.11 Lowveld area 19
6.12 Namaqualand area 19
6.13 Newcastle area 19
6.14 Nigel area 19
6.15 Peninsula area 20
6.16 Pinetown area 20
6.17 Polokwane area 20
6.18 Port Elizabeth area 20
6.19 Pretoria area 21
6.20 Rustenburg area 21
6.21 Southern Cape area 21
6.22 Vaal Triangle area 21
6.23 Warmbad area 22
6.24 Waterberg area 22
6.25 Welkom area 22
6.26 West Coast area 22
6.27 West Rand area 22
6.28 Large-Area Integration Stability limits 23
7 High-Level Connection Estimates 24
Appendix A: Renewable Energy IPPs - Round 1 and 2 Preferred Bidders 24
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment

1 Introduction
1.1 Context of the Generation Connection Capacity
Eskom is the biggest producer of electricity in South
Africa; it is also the sole transmitter of electricity via
a transmission network which supplies electricity
at high voltages to a number of key customers
and distributors. Eskom is a vertically integrated
company licensed to generate, transmit and
distribute electricity. The transmission licence is held
by Eskom Transmission, the transmission network
service provider (TNSP). Planning the transmission
network is the responsibility of the Grid Planning
Department in the Transmission Division.
The intention of this document is to provide
an indication of the available capacity for the
connection of new generation at the Main
Transmission System (MTS) substations on the
Eskom transmission network that will be in service
by 2016. The capacity specifies the substation
limit as well as the transmission backbone limit
for simultaneous generation connection at an
HV busbar of an MTS substation in a specific
area. The grid is divided into 27 load supply areas,
and these supply areas are used as generation
connection areas to assess how much generation
can be connected in each area. The capacities
specified are for both steady-state and transient
power system conditions. The transient stability
limit represents the technically feasible integration
limit, especially with regard to area limits. The
provided values are not intended to be fixed
specific connection capacities as each connection
is unique, but rather to be used as a guideline to
indicate the potential for connecting to a specific
point or area in the transmission network, and also
to identify the network strengthening required
to unlock the network capacity to integrate
more IPPs in areas which have high generation
resources available.
The steady-state results provide the available
capacity at MTS substations and also at an area level.
All areas in the Cape have been combined to test
the capacity of the Cape corridor. In the transient
study, the focus of the results is on area limits, and
the corridors supplying a number of areas are also
tested by combining a number of areas into one
large area. The results of this study can be used to
assess the capacity (MW) that can be connected at
each MTS substation for N-1 Grid Code reliability
level, and also the total capacity that an area or
a group of areas can handle without violating the
limits of network stability.
1.2 Structure of the document
The document is structured as follows:
Chapter 2 provides the background to the study
and the scope of the study.
Chapter 3 outlines the methodology employed
in the study and how the results should
be interpreted.
Chapter 4 gives the definition of the generation
connection capacity and typical layouts
of how new plants can be connected
to the MTS substation.
Chapter 5 gives the generation connection capacity
of supply areas on a provincial basis.
Chapter 6 provides the generation connection
capacity at MTS substations per
supply area, giving both the steadystate
(N-1) and the stability capacity.
The steady-state limit is given per
MTS substation HV busbar, and the
stability limit is given per area.
Chapter 7 explains a process which could be followed
to obtain high-level cost estimations
for generation integration.
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2 Background
Eskom released the document on Generation
Connection Capacity Assessment for the 2012
Transmission Grid (GCCA-2012) early in 2011 in
response to the Government’s REBID programme
and the large number of renewable generation
applications and enquiries received by Eskom.
This document only covered the Cape provinces
because of time constraints and the prioritisation
of the locations where enquiries were made.
The GCCA-2012 focused on the connection
at the Lower Voltage (LV) busbars of the Main
Transmission System (MTS) substations and took
into account the limitation of the transformers, as
the emphasis was on connecting to the existing
transmission infrastructure.
This version of the GCCA document not only
considers the Transmission Grid that is expected to
be in place by 2016, but now also includes the entire
country. The focus is now on the generation that
can be connected to the High Voltage (HV) busbar
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
at the MTS substation without the limitations of
the transformers, i.e. on what can be first absorbed
for supplying the local MTS supply area and what in
addition can be transported into the Transmission
Grid to supply more distant loads. The requirement
is that the Transmission grid should still meet the
single condition (N-1) criteria of the Grid Code.
The Transmission Grid is divided into 27
Transmission supply areas which contain a number
of MTS substations to supply the demand in the area.
These supply areas are grouped into the 9 provinces
of the country. The supply areas have been analysed
to determine the generation connection capacities
of the MTS substations within each supply area.
An overview of each province and the provinces’
supply areas is given in Section 5. An alphabetical list
of MTS substations and their connection capacities
per supply area is provided in Chapter 6.

3 Methodology and Interpretation
This chapter explains how the generation connection
capacities were calculated for the MTS substations
and how this value can be interpreted.
3.1 Methodology of calculation
Connection capacity is determined by the available
Transmission infrastructure in service to which a
proposed generation project can connect and then
transport the generated power to the loads. The
document considers the connection capacity that
will be available on the Transmission grid for the
year 2016, taking into account the Transmission
infrastructure that is expected to be in service
in 2016, based on the approved Transmission
Development Plan for the period 2013 to 2022.
The Distribution infrastructure is not considered
in this document because of the sheer volume of
infrastructure and the rapid changes that can be
implemented at the lower voltages. All generation
integration requirements will have to be considered
at a local level and the direct connections can in
general be implemented relatively quickly. The real
issue that this document addresses is how much
generation can be integrated and transported to the
point where it is required at the Transmission level.
The Transmission Connection Capacity provides
the overall capacity that can be absorbed at a
specific MTS connection point without requiring
any reinforcement, either directly connected to
the MTS substation or via the distribution network
supplied by the MTS substation. In other words,
it is the indicative capacity for connecting new
generation within the geographical supply area of
that particular MTS substation.
Certain assumptions were made regarding the
potential allocation of the downstream load in
order to determine the connection capacity at the
MTS substations. Essentially, the new generation will
first supply the local load within the supply area
of the MTS substation and send the excess into
the Transmission network via the MTS substation
transformers and connecting Transmission lines.
The difference between the previous GCCA
document, GCCA-2012, and this one, GCCA-2016,
is that in this case the amount of generation is
considered to be modelled at the High-Voltage
busbar of the substation, i.e. the 400-kV, 275-kV
or 220-kV busbar. The generation value at the
HV busbar was increased until the Grid Code
criteria were breached for single contingency(N-1)
conditions on the Transmission level grid. This value
determined the individual generation limit at the
MTS substation.
The MTS substation is connected within a
Transmission load supply area system, however,
in total there are 27 such areas, and the limit
of the supply area dictates the potential limit at
the individual MTS substation. The limit at each
MTS substation within a supply area provides an
indication of the proportional allocation of the
supply area limit to the substations. The studies
are then rerun, increasing the generation of the
supply area with each substation at their relative
proportional contribution until the area’s N-1 limit
is reached. This is then the generation connection
capacity value for each MTS substation in the
supply area.
The capacities are determined for both steadystate
and transient power system conditions. In
effect, the transient stability limit represents the
technically feasible integration limit with regard to
area limits.
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 3

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3.2 Interpretation of the connection
capacity value
Based on the connection capacity of a specific
MTS substation, a developer is able to make a high
level assessment of what is likely to be required to
connect his/her generation project to this point on
the Eskom Transmission network.
This would be done by first identifying in which
MTS substation supply area the generation project
will be located and relating it to the approximate
distance to that MTS substation or the nearest
Distribution substation within that supply area. The
maps indicating the supply areas are provided by
province in Chapter 6 of this document.
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Using the proposed total MW output of the
generation plant, the connection requirements and
timing assessment can be done as follows:
Project MW output less than MTS
connection capacity
The generation project should be able to connect
to the Transmission network without requiring
any additional deep transformation reinforcement.
Only shallow connection works should be required,
either via the distribution network or by connecting
directly to the HV or LV busbar of the MTS substation.
Project MW output is around MTS
connection capacity
If the MW output of the generation project is of
the same order as the MTS substation’s connection
capacity, around a ± 10% variation, then it may be
possible to connect the project without requiring
any additional deep reinforcement and only shallow
connection works will be required.
Project MW output greater than MTS
connection capacity
The generation project will not be able to connect
without requiring some form of additional deep
Transmission reinforcement (e.g. Transmission line,
transformer) in addition to the shallow connection
works. The deep reinforcement is likely to place a
time constraint on connecting the generation plant
project, depending on the nature and size of the
transmission reinforcement works required.

4 Definition of Transmission Connection Capacity
A “Transmission Connection” is defined for the
purposes of this document as the direct or indirect
connection to an MTS substation at either the LV
or the HV busbar.
A direct connection at the HV busbar would
require the construction of a Transmission voltage
level line (400 kV, 275 kV or 220 kV) from the
generation plant directly to the MTS substation.
The connection to the MTS substation’s LV busbar
can be made in number of ways, namely:
Gen
Plant
Direct Connection
to an MTS Substation
400 kV (HV)
132 kV (LV)
Loop-in Connection to an
existing transmission line
Figure 4.1: Generation plant connection to the LV busbar options
• Direct connection from the generation plant
substation to the MTS substation via a dedicated
transmission line.
• Looping in an existing distribution line which
is connected to the MTS substation into the
generation plant substation.
• Direct connection from the generation plant’s
substation to a Distribution substation which is
supplied by the MTS substation.
The 3 LV busbar connection options are shown
diagrammatically in Figure 4.1.
132 kV (LV)
22 kV (LV)
Distribution Substation
Gen
Plant
MTS Substation
Gen
Plant
132 kV (LV)
22 kV (LV)
Distribution Substation
Direct Connection to a
Distribution Substation
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5 Supply Areas by Province: Connection Capacity
The Grid is divided into 27 supply areas that are
used for conducting the load forecast, and these
areas have a certain number of MTS substations
supplied by them. The supply areas do cross the
provincial boundaries in some cases because these
areas are related to the networks from which they
are supplied.
Figure 5 Main Transmission System with supply areas
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Figure 5 displays the grid layout with all supply
areas, and provincial maps with the associated
supply areas are shown in Figures 5.1 to 5.9 in
alphabetical order.
The provincial maps give two figures for each supply
area, which represent the steady-state limit in MW
and the stability limit in MW for that particular
supply area.

5.1 Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape Province has two complete supply
areas and one that overlaps from the Northern
Cape. The complete supply areas are Port Elizabeth
and East London.
The overlapping supply area is the Karoo. The
MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Figure 5.1 Eastern Cape Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 7

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5.2 Free State
The Free State Province has two complete supply
areas and several overlapping supply areas, namely
two from the Northern Cape, one from the North
West Province, one from Gauteng and one from
KwaZulu-Natal. The complete supply areas are
Bloemfontein and Welkom. The overlapping supply
areas are Kimberley, Karoo, Carltonville, Vaal Triangle
and Tugela.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Please note that the Serumula substation is only a
series capacitor switching station.
Figure 5.2 Free State Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment

5.3 Gauteng
Gauteng Province has five complete supply areas
and two that overlap from the Limpopo and North
West Province.
The complete supply areas are Johannesburg, Nigel,
Pretoria, West Rand and Vaal Triangle. The overlapping
supply areas are Warmbad and Carletonville.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Figure 5.3 Gauteng Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
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5.4 KwaZulu-Natal
KwaZulu-Natal Province has four complete supply
areas and no overlapping supply areas. The complete
supply areas are Empangeni, Pinetown, Newcastle
and Tugela.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Figure 5.4 KwaZulu-Natal Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment

5.5 Limpopo
Limpopo Province has four complete supply areas
and one overlapping supply area from Mpumalanga.
The complete supply areas are Limpopo, Lowveld
North, Warmbad and Waterberg. The overlapping
supply area is Lowveld North-East.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area
in Chapter 6.
Figure 5.5 Limpopo Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
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5.6 Mpumalanga
Mpumalanga Province has three complete supply
areas and several overlapping supply areas, namely
one from Gauteng, one from Limpopo Province
and one from KwaZulu-Natal.
The complete supply areas are Highveld North,
Highveld South and Lowveld North-east. The
overlapping supply areas are Nigel, Newcastle and
Tugela Lowveld North.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Figure 5.6 Mpumalanga Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment

5.7 North West Province
North West Province has two complete supply areas
and no overlapping supply areas. The complete supply
areas are Rustenburg and Carltonville.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Figure 5.7 North West Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state limit MW / Stability limit MW)
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5.8 Northern Cape
The Northern Cape Province has three complete
supply areas and two overlapping supply areas from
the Western Cape Province. The complete supply
areas are Kimberley, Karoo and Namaqualand. The
overlapping supply areas are the Western Coast
and Southern Cape.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area
in Chapter 6.
Please note that the Victoria, Komsberg, Kronos and
Helios substations are only 400-kV series capacitor
switching stations.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Figure 5.8 Northern Cape Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state (N-1) limit MW / Stability limit MW)
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment

5.9 Western Cape
The Western Cape Province has three complete
supply areas and no overlapping supply areas. The
complete supply areas are Peninsula, Western Cape
and Southern Cape.
The MTS substations at their generation connection
capacities are listed alphabetically by supply area in
Chapter 6.
Please note that the Komsberg substation is only
a 400-kV series capacitor switching station and
that the Kappa (Koruson) and Omega (Sterrekus)
substations are the new 765-/400-kV substations.
Figure 5.9 Western Cape Province with generation connection capacity limit (steady-state (N-1) limit MW / Stability limit MW)
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6 Generation Connection Capacity by Supply Area
The MTS substations are grouped by supply area
and listed alphabetically in a single table for each
supply area. The tables provide the transformer
voltage levels, the 2016 installed transformer
capacity, the N-1 transformer MVA level, the
calculated HV busbar generation limit in MW and
the committed new generation to be connected by
2016 per substation. Then the available generation
connection capacity of each substation is given in
MW, referred to as the “2016 Generation Limit”
in the table, taking into account the committed
generation. Then the capacities are totalled to give
the overall area steady-state (N-1) limit for the
supply area.
“2016 Generation limit” = [the lower of the
“Trfr N-1 limit” or “HV Busbar Gen limit”] – [Committed
Gen Capacity]
The final column indicates the system stability limit
in MW for the whole supply area.
The geographic location of the committed generation,
the RE IPP Round 1 and 2 preferred bidders is given
in Appendix A.
Substation
name
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.1 Bloemfontein area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
In some substations, transformers will have to be
introduced to either increase the capacity or to
introduce an MV voltage (132 kV) for IPP integration.
The total area steady-state (N-1) limit (i.e. the HV
busbar generation limit total) and the system
stability limit for a supply area indicate the following:
• If the total area 2016 Generation limit > stability
limit then the supply area network has stability
constraints and therefore the area’s stability
studies will be critical before a large amount of
generation is connected in the entire area.
• If the total area 2016 Generation limit < stability
limit then the supply area has thermal or voltage
limits which have to be resolved in order to
connect more generation and the area does not
have stability constraints.
The supply area tables are listed alphabetically.
Please note that in the case of 765-/400-kV
substations, the HV busbar generation limit refers
to the 400-kV busbar.
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Bethal 765/400 2x2000 2000 633 0 633
Perseus 275/na n/a n/a 570 60 510
Harvard 275/132 2x500 500 586 64 436
Merapi 275/132 2x180 & 1x250 360 443 0 360
Perseus 400/275 2x400 & 1x800 800 633 0 633
TOTAL 3660 2865 124 2573
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Stability
limit (MW)
4745

Substation
name
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.2 Carltonville area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Midas 400/132 2x500 500 210 0 210
Pluto 400/275 2x750 750 315 0 315
Hermes 400/132 3x500 1000 210 0 210
Mercury 400/132 2x500 500 267 0 267
Pluto 275/n/a n/a n/a 182 0 182
Carmel_A 275/132
Carmel_B 275/132
Watershed
275/132 &
275/88
2x500 500 86 0 86
2x315 & 1x250 315 119 0 119
TOTAL 3565 1390 0 1390
6.3 East London Bisho area
Neptune 400/132 2x500 500 790 0 500
Vuyani 400/132 2x250 250 1079 0 250
Delphi 400/132 2x120 120 967 97 23
Pembroke 220/132 & 66 2x250 & 2x90 340 310 21 289
TOTAL 1210 3145 118 1062
6.4 Empangeni area
Invubu 400/275 & 132 3x800 & 2x500 2100 427 0 427
Invubu 275/n/a n/a n/a 445 0 445
Rabbit 275/33 n/a n/a 319 0 319
Impala 275/33 4x250 750 436 0 436
Athene 400/275 & 132 4x500 1500 418 0 418
TOTAL 4350 2045 0 2045
6.5 Highveld North area
Gumeni 400/132 1x500 0 1193 0 0
Vulcan 400/132
2x500 & 2x300
& 1x250
1350 1561 0 1350
Rockdale 400/132 2x500 500 708 0 500
Kruispunt 275/132 4x250 750 206 0 206
Rockdale_1 275/132 2x500 500 256 0 256
Prairie 275/132 2x240 240 507 0 240
Rockdale_2 275/132 n/a n/a 256 0 256
TOTAL 3340 4685 0 2808
6.6 Highveld South area
Sol 400/132 4x500 1500 203 0 203
Zeus 765/400 3x2000 4000 4287 0 4000
Alpha 765/400 3x2000 4000 3375 0 3375
TOTAL 9500 7865 0 7578
Stability
limit (MW)
2300
3898
2115
4685
7749
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Substation
name
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.7 Johannesburg area
6.10 Ladysmith area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Lulamisa 400/88 3x315 630 192 0 192
Craighall 275/88 3x315 630 247 0 247
Jupiter 275/88 3x180 360 195 0 195
Simmerpan 275/88 2x180 180 230 0 180
Croydon 275/132 3x250 500 198 0 198
Esselen
275/132 &
400/88
2x180 & 1x250
& 2x315
675 340 0 340
Northrand 275/132 2x500 500 344 0 344
Fordsburg 275/88 4x250 750 129 0 129
Eiger 275/88 3x315 630 202 0 202
Lepini 275/88 4x315 945 312 0 312
Quattro 275/88 3x315 630 216 0 216
Delta_A 275/88
105 0 105
2x250 250
Delta_B 275/88 105 0 105
TOTAL 6680 2815 0 2765
6.8 Karoo area
Hydra 400/220 2x315 315
0 315
527
400/ 132 2x240 240 391 -151
Ruigtevallei 220/132 & 66 1x250 0 28 70 -70
Roodekuil 220/66 1x125 0 43 0 0
Hydra 220/N/A n/a n/a 73 0 73
TOTAL 555 670 461 167
6.9 Kimberly area
Mookodi 400/132 2x250 250 210 0 210
Ferrum 400/132 2x500 500 176 149 27
Olien 275/132 2x150 150 143 139 4
Boundary 275/132 2x250 250 140 96 44
Ferrum 275/132 2x250 250 118 0 118
Garona 275/132 1x125 0 44 109 -109
TOTAL 1400 830 493 293
Venus 400/275 2x800 800 707 0 707
Tugela 275/132 2x180 180 371 4 176
Venus 275/N/A 2x500 500 531 0 500
Danskraal 275/132 2x125 125 298 0 125
Bloukrans 275/132 2x250 250 444 0 250
TOTAL 1855 2350 4 1758
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Stability limit
(MW)
4315
2398
2580
3261

Substation
name
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.11 Lowveld area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Merensky 400/275 & 132 2x 800 & 1x500 0 395 0 0
Marathon B 400/275 1x800 0 47 0 0
Simplon 275/132 2x250 250 124 0 124
Foskor 275/132 3x250 500 260 0 260
Archonhoek 275/132 3x125 250 328 0 250
Malelane 275/132 1x250 0 302 0 0
Marathon 275/132 2x500 500 557 0 500
Senakangwedi 275/33 3x180 360 175 0 175
Merensky 275/132 2x250 250 421 0 250
Komatipoort 275/132 2x125 125 192 0 125
TOTAL 2235 2800 0 1683
6.12 Namaqualand area
Aries 400/22 1x10 0 116 10 -10
Aggeneis 400/220 2x315 315 121 0 121
Oranjemond 220/66 2x80 80 33 0 33
Gromis 220/66 2x40 80 33 0 33
Nama 220/66 2x80 80 37 0 37
Aggeneis 220/66 2x80 80 98 0 80
Paulputs 220/132 1x125 0 33 120 -120
TOTAL 635 470 130 174
6.13 Newcastle area
Umfolozi 400/88 2x160 160 304 0 160
Chivelston 400/275 1x800 0 252 0 0
Incandu 400/132 1x500 & 2x315 630 230 0 230
Normandi 400/132 & 88 2x160 160 178 0 160
Bloedrivier 275/88 2x180 180 178 0 178
Ingangane 275/88 2x160 570 215 0 215
Chivelston 275/n/a n/a n/a 141 0 141
TOTAL 1700 1496 0 1082
6.14 Nigel area
Pieterboth 275/88 2x315 315 27 0 27
Snowdon 275/88 3x160 320 16 0 16
Brenner 275/88 3x315 630 38 0 38
Benburg 275/88 3x250 500 61 0 61
Nevis 275/132 2x500 500 33 0 33
TOTAL 2265 175 0 175
Stability limit
(MW)
3250
1235
1498
175
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 19

20
Substation
name
6.18 Port Elizabeth area
Poseidon
400/220 1x500 0
0 0
881
400/220 & 132 2x500 500 161 339
Grassridge 400/132 2x500 500 905 393 107
Dedisa 400/132 2x500 500 797 0 500
Poseidon
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.15 Peninsula area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Stikland 400/132 2x500 500 512 0 500
Acacia 400/132 3x500 1000 706 0 706
Philippi 400/132 3x500 1000 706 0 706
Omega
(Sterrekus)
765/400 1x2000 0 544 0 0
Muldersvlei 400/132 3x500 1000 706 135 571
TOTAL 3500 3251 135 2484
6.16 Pinetown area
Mersey 400/275 3x800 1600 1093 0 1093
Ariadne 400/132 2x500 500 562 0 500
Hector 400/275 3x800 1600 309 0 309
Klaarwater 275/132 4x315 945 688 0 688
Georgedale 275/132 3x150 300 271 0 271
Mersey 275/132 3x250 500 473 0 473
Avon 275/132 3x250 500 549 0 500
Hector 275/n/a n/a n/a 182 0 182
Eros 275/132 2x500 500 713 0 500
Illovo 275/132 2x500 500 511 0 500
TOTAL 6945 5350 0 5015
6.17 Polokwane area
Borotho 400/132 2x500 500 97 0 97
Leseding 400/132 2x500 500 85 0 85
Tabor 400/132 1x500 0 73 28 -28
Witkop 400/275 & 132 2x400 3x500 1000 95 30 65
Tabor 275/132 2x250 250 58 0 58
Witkop 275/N/A 2x400 400 56 0 56
Spencer 275/132 2x250 250 56 0 56
TOTAL 2900 520 58 390
220/132 2x125 125 329 0 125
220/66 1x80 & 1x40 0 0 0 0
Grassridge 220/132 2x360 360 413 0 360
TOTAL 1985 3325 554 1431
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Stability limit
(MW)
3251
5466
735
3523

Substation
name
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.19 Pretoria area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Dinaledi 400/132 3x500 1000 844 0 844
Minerva 400/275 3x800 & 1x720 2320 844 0 844
Apollo 400/275 2x1000 & 1x800 1800 1032 0 1032
Njala 275/132 3x250 1000 571 0 571
Verwoerdburg 400/132 2x250 250 424 0 250
Minerva 275/n/a n/a n/a 1127 0 1127
Kwagga 275/132 4x300 900 571 0 571
Lomond 275/88 3x315 630 257 0 257
Apollo 275/n/a n/a n/a 676 0 676
TOTAL 7900 6345 0 6171
6.20 Rustenburg area
Marang 400/88 4x315 945 253 0 253
Ngwedi 400/132 2x500 500 408 0 408
Bighorn 400/132 & 275 2x500 & 2x800 1300 354 7 347
Ararat 275/88 3x315 630 186 0 186
Bighorn 275/88 3x315 630 186 0 186
Trident 275/88 2x315 315 193 0 193
TOTAL 4320 1580 7 1573
6.21 Southern Cape area
Bacchus 400/132 2x500 500 940 62 438
Droërivier 400/132 2x120 120 953 0 120
Kappa 765/400 1x2000 0 926 0 0
Proteus 400/132 1x500 0 499 0 0
TOTAL 620 3318 62 558
6.22 Vaal Triangle area
Glockner 400/275 3x800 800 615 0 615
Kookfontein A 275/88
Kookfontein C 275/88
Kookfontein B 275/88
Verdun_A 275/88
Verdun_B 275/88
3x135 270 594 0 270
2x315 315 368 0 315
Makalu 275/88 4x160 480 184 0 184
Rigi 275/88 3x315 630 35 0 35
Scafell 275/132 3x135 270 35 0 35
Olympus
Olympus_A
275/132 2x250 250 308 0 250
Glockner 275/n/a n/a n/a 853 0 853
TOTAL 3015 2990 0 2556
Stability limit
(MW)
6345
1580
3318
2990
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 21

22
Substation
name
Trfr voltage
levels (kV)
6.23 Warmbad area
6.27 West Rand area
Trfr Capacity
(MVA)
N-1 Trfr limit
(MVA)
HV Busbar
Gen limit
(MW)
Committed
Gen Capacity
(MW)
2016
Generation
limit
Pelly 275/132 2x250 250 273 0 250
Warmbad 275/66 2x125 125 187 0 125
TOTAL 375 460 0 375
6.24 Waterberg area
Spitskop
400/275 2x800
400/132 1x500 & 2x250
1300 1244 0 1244
Spitskop 275/88 2x315 315 565 0 315
TOTAL 1615 1809 0 1559
6.25 Welkom area
Leander 400/132 2x500 500 1679 0 500
Theseus 400/132 2x500 500 1679 0 500
Everest 275/132 2x500 500 1507 0 500
TOTAL 1500 4865 0 1500
6.26 West Coast area
Helios 400/22 2x10 10 554 0 10
Juno 400/132 2x120 120 441 109 11
Aurora 400/132 4x250 1250 1622 161 1089
TOTAL 1380 2616 270 1110
Hera 400/275 2x800 800 540 0 540
Brenner 275/132 4x240 240 731 0 240
Hera 275/n/a n/a n/a 731 0 731
Princess 275/88 2x315 315 215 0 215
Taunus 275/132 3x500 1000 587 0 587
Westgate 275/132 2x500 500 253 0 253
Etna 275/88 2x315 315 778 0 315
TOTAL 3170 3835 0 2881
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Stability limit
(MW)
1262
560
4765
2616
4685

6.28 Large-Area Integration Stability Limits
The simultaneous integration of generation at HV
busbars in the areas that are grouped together
as indicted in the table below, was simulated to
derive a stability limit for wide-area integration.
Simulations were done for each area individually.
The stability limit given is a good indicator of the
highest possible integration limit if no restrictions
are imposed by network overloading in an area.
Larger area Transmission supply areas Stability limit (MW)
KwaZulu-Natal Empangeni, Ladysmith, Newcastle, Pinetown 17 000
Cape
Limpopo and North West
Figure 6.28 Geographic location of larger areas and the stability limits
Kimberley, East London, Karoo, Port Elizabeth,
Peninsula, Namaqualand, Southern Cape and
West Coast
Polokwane, Waterberg, Warmbad, Rustenburg
and Carltonville
15 000
10 000
GCCA-2016 © Eskom 2013 23

24
7 High-Level Connection Estimates
The location and Generation Connection Capacity
of the closest MTS substation will give a developer
some indication of what will be required to
connect his/her proposed generation plant to the
Eskom Transmission Grid. If the MW output of the
generation plant is less than or about the same as
the Generation Connection Capacity of the relevant
MTS substation, the connection requirements
would probably be only a shallow connection. If the
MW output exceeds the Generation Connection
Capacity, some form of transmission reinforcement
would probably be required and Eskom should
be engaged to discuss the potential integration
requirements of the project.
Appendix A: Renewable Energy IPPs
- Round 1 and 2 Preferred Bidders
Appendix A: Renewable Energy IPPs - Round 1 and 2 Preferred Bidders
Generation Connection Capacity Assessment
Consulting engineers and equipment manufacturers
or suppliers can provide some unit costs of the
transmission infrastructure for the simple calculation
of estimates, so as to provide an order-of-magnitude
value of the cost of a possible shallow connection.
Eskom can also provide a free cost-estimate letter
(non-binding) for all IPPs that apply to Eskom for
connection. The cost-estimate letter will provide an
indicative cost which is non-binding, but will give
the IPP a good indication of the costs.

Eskom Transmission Division
Megawatt Park Maxwell Drive Sunninghill Sandton
PO Box 1091 Johannesburg 2000 SA
www.eskom.co.za
Eskom Holdings SOC Limited Reg No 2002/015527/06