Athlone_Power_Station
Athlone Power Station
Defunct power station in Cape Town, South Africa
Athlone Power Station was a coal-fired power station in Athlone, Cape Town, South Africa. The site stopped generating power in 2003 and was decommissioned.[1] However, in 2021 plans were announced to re-use the site.[2]
Athlone Power Station was situated on the N2 freeway into the city, consisted of a large brick generation building, two 99m brick chimneys, and two cooling towers, fed by reclaimed water from a nearby sewage plant. It was commissioned in 1962 with 6 turbines with a nominal capacity of 180 megawatts, and operated by the City of Cape Town.[3] Between 1985 and 1994 the station was held on standby, but it resumed generating in 1995 with a reduced capacity of 120 MW. Between 1995 and 2003 it was used to generate power during peak demand periods or power failures of the national grid.[3] By 2003, significant investment was required due to the age of the power station, so generation ended.[4]