Eskom says Medupi, Kusile on track

South Africa power utility Eskom said on Wednesday that construction at two new power plants was on track despite delays caused by labour unrest.

Getting new power capacity up and running is urgent in Africa's largest economy as supplies remain extremely tight and key industrial sectors such as mining are very energy intensive.

"Although minor delays on construction, there is no threat on the delivery of both Medupi and Kusile," an Eskom document presented to parliament showed.

"Operations are back on track and projects are working very hard to make up the lost time."

Disgruntled workers went on the rampage in May at the construction sites of the 4,800 megawatt Medupi and Kusile plants, the first new power stations to be built in South Africa in more than 20 years.

The country needs 45,000 MW of new electricity capacity by 2030. The flagship coal-fired Medupi and Kusile plants are meant to fill a looming power crunch.

Eskom says power supply to South Africa will remain tight, with the risk of blackouts "significantly" increasing from 2011 to 2013, and then again from 2018 to 2024.