Medupi Flue Gas Desulphurisation: Technology Selection Study Report

The report evaluates Wet FGD and Dry FGD (specifically Circulating Fluidized Bed - CFB) technologies for the Medupi Power Station. It recommends the implementation of Wet FGD without a flue gas cooler, citing its superior cost-efficiency, technical maturity, and potential to support local socio-economic development through the use of regional limestone.

• The report recommends that Eskom implement Wet FGD (WFGD) technology without a flue gas cooler, concluding it is the "most efficient, sustainable and broadly (i.e. technical, social, cost) responsible solution for both Eskom and South Africa going forward."
• Medupi Power Station must achieve a maximum SO2 outlet emission concentration of 500 mg/Nm3 to comply with South African Minimum Source Emission Standards, requiring a nominal removal efficiency of approximately 87.5% from current levels of 4000mg/Nm3.
• Dry FGD-CFB technology is estimated to have a 9% higher capital cost than WFGD due to necessary modifications to ductwork and the addition of a new fabric filter system. Furthermore, its estimated operating expenses are 53% higher than WFGD, primarily because of the higher cost of the lime reagent.
• The implementation of WFGD is identified as a driver for socio-economic development in Lephalale and surrounding areas because it can use lower quality limestones sourced locally, whereas CFB technology requires higher quality lime that would need to be transported from the Northern Cape.
• WFGD with flue gas cooling was deemed unfeasible for Medupi due to practical challenges including high material costs, significant space constraints for maintenance, and potential reductions in plant availability and power output. Benchmarking at three European power stations also led to advice against its installation.
• The CFB-FGD technology requires significantly more energy than WFGD. The total power requirement for CFB-FGD is estimated at 1,015,367 MW/annum, compared to 247,642 MW/annum for the standard WFGD.
• While CFB-FGD uses less water (approximately 60% of the WFGD requirement), the WFGD water supply is integrated into the Phase 2A water augmentation project, which aims to maximize the use of natural water resources in the Crocodile catchment for industrial use in Lephalale.
• The choice of CFB-FGD would result in an estimated incremental increase in the electricity tariff of approximately 0.45% compared to the WFGD baseline.

APA

Centre for Environmental Rights (n.d.). Medupi Flue Gas Desulphurisation: Technology Selection Study Report. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Annexure-B-Medupi-FGD-Technology-Study-Report-Rev-2-0-FINAL.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Centre for Environmental Rights. Medupi Flue Gas Desulphurisation: Technology Selection Study Report. n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Annexure-B-Medupi-FGD-Technology-Study-Report-Rev-2-0-FINAL.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Centre for Environmental Rights |title=Medupi Flue Gas Desulphurisation: Technology Selection Study Report |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Annexure-B-Medupi-FGD-Technology-Study-Report-Rev-2-0-FINAL.pdf?x21779 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centreforenvironmentalrightsndmedupi, author = {{Centre for Environmental Rights}}, title = {{Medupi Flue Gas Desulphurisation: Technology Selection Study Report}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Annexure-B-Medupi-FGD-Technology-Study-Report-Rev-2-0-FINAL.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }