Six months after construction of Eskom’s Medupi power station began, the expansion project at Grootegeluk to supply coal to this power station was well under way. Besides providing at least 15Mtpa of coal to the power station, this expansion project will change the face of Grootegeluk and the town of Lephalale forever.

With the mine almost doubling production, the town is expected to grow significantly in the next five years, with more infrastructure, shops, subsidiary businesses and housing. Construction of the mine will create some 2 000 new jobs, at least half of which could go to local residents. Combined with the
7 000 people needed to build the power station, private sector growth is expected to accelerate sharply.