State-owned power utility Eskom on Monday said it has successfully achieved the first oil fire for Unit 6, the first of the Medupi boilers at the developing power station in Limpopo.

With the first oil fire, using liquefied petroleum gas and fuel oil, now achieved, the utility would now turn its focus to the optimisation of the oil burners to ensure the stability of the oil fire.

“Medupi is now well on its way and steadily progressing towards the blow-through,” Eskom said in a statement.

Outlining the process of starting the first oil fire, Eskom explained that, following the successful sequence starts on the oil burners, the purge steam, atomising steam and gas flame sequences were activated, with the latter successfully igniting the fuel oil.