Twelve years after ground was broken at Medupi, the troubled construction of the mega coal-fired power station that has been partially blamed for bankrupting Eskom and bringing the country’s economy to its knees, is nearing completion.

The second-last generation unit went into commercial operation on Tuesday. The Medupi power station in Limpopo will be the world’s fourth-largest dry-cooled station, and comprises six units designed to generate 4,800MW of power — accounting for about 15% of SA’s peak power demand...