Country South Africa Commission date 1983 Phone +27 17 612 9111 Units operational 6 | Location Mpumalanga Nameplate capacity 3,600 Megawatt Owner Eskom | |
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Address Matla, Kriel, 2271, South Africa Hours Open today · 7AM–4:15PMWednesday7AM–4:15PMThursday7AM–4:15PMFriday7AM–12PMSaturdayClosedSundayClosedMonday7AM–4:15PMTuesday(Human Rights Day)7AM–4:15PMHours might differ Similar matla, Matla Power Station, Eskom Kendal Power St, Khutala Colliery, Police Station (Kriel) | ||
Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, is a coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom and consuming the output from the Matla coal mine.
History
Construction started in 1974, and the last unit was commissioned in July 1983. In 1982 the southern most smokestack measuring 276 metres (906 ft) in height was demolished after it partially collapsed during construction, killing 4 workers. It held the world record for the tallest free standing structure to be explosively demolished for 24 years until the 2006 demolition of the 300 metres (980 ft) Westerholt Power Station chimney.
The actual explosion was also used in a gag in Jamie Uys' Funny People 2, where an electrician is instructed to do some wiring, and is warned that improper connection will cause the stack to explode.