The first cranes began preparation work on the site in 2008, with the last cranes arriving just this year. The six crawler cranes were provided by Mammoet, the GTK1100 was provided by Vanguard and the tower cranes were provided by Kentz and SA French. The project is run under principal contractor Hitachi.
The crawler cranes, one 756t capacity Manitowoc 21000 and five 400t capacity Manitowoc 16000s, are primarily being used to lift steel beams and steel assemblies. The two Potain tower cranes, a 6t capacity MDT 98 and an 8t capacity MDT 178, are lifting structural steel elements for the bag filters, while the larger MD 1100 special application crane is erecting the air-cooled condenser’s structure, plus the fans and fan rings on it.
Pieter van der Weele, manager at Mammoet South Africa, said his company was proud to be involved in the project. "When we were approached by the main contractor about the project, Manitowoc was the only manufacturer that could deliver this variety of crawler cranes in time for the beginning of the project," Weele added. "Having the support from Manitowoc Crane Care for this project in South Africa enables us to react quickly when maintenance or repairs are required — and this is essential for a project of this size and importance."
When complete, the coal-fired power station will employ six boilers each powering an 800 MW turbine. With its combined output of 4,800 MW, Medupi Power Station is expected to be the largest dry-cooled coal power plant in the world.
