The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme is pumped-storage power station in the escarpment of the Little Drakensberg range straddling the border of the KwaZulu-Natal and Free State provinces, South Africa. It is about 22km southwest of Van Reenen. The pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme consists of an upper and a lower dam apart and connected to a power station by tunnels. It was constructed by an Eskom and CMC Impregilo Mavundla Joint Venture The scheme was built at a cost of US$3.5 billion . Construction began in 2005 and the power station was scheduled to begin operations in late 2015, but the first two generators were not commissioned until March 2016, the third was brought into commercial operation in August 2016, and the remaining are expected by 2017.The pumped-storage hydroelectric plant uses water from the upper reservoir to generate electricity during the peak demand periods of the day. At night, excess power on the grid generated by conventional coal and nuclear plants is used to pump water to the upper reservoir. The upper Bedford Dam on Bedford stream, a tributary of the Wilge River, was completed in April 2011. It is a 39m tall concrete-face rock-fill dam. It has a 22400000m3 water storage capacity of which 19200000m3 can be used for power generation. The lower Bramhoek Dam on Bramhoek stream, a tributary of the Klip River, was completed in November 2011. It is a 41m tall roller-compacted concrete gravity dam. It has a 26300000m3 water storage capacity of which 21900000m3 can be pumped up to the upper reservoir. A 2km long headrace tunnel connects the upper reservoir to the underground power station which will house 4 x reversible Francis pump-turbines. The elevation between the two reservoirs affords a hydraulic head of 480m. Water from the power station is discharged down a 2.5km long tailrace tunnel to the lower reservoir.
