Orlando Power Station

Planning for the construction of Orlando started in 1935, as the electricity demand of Johannesburg was rising faster than what could be met with the existing City Generating Station located in downtown Johannesburg. The location for the station was selected due to its proximity to water supply for coolant and railway lines for the delivery of coal. Construction started in 1939 with Merz & McLellan as consulting engineers, but completion was delayed due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The last phase of construction was completed in 1955. Until 1990 two Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns saddle-tank steam engines (Nos. 7805 Elizabeth an 0-6-0ST and 7398 George an 0-4-0ST were used to move incoming coal trains through a wagon tipper at the power plant.{{cite web| url=http://steam-locomotives-south-africa.blogspot.com/2009/05/johannesburg-city-power-reuven-head.html| title=Johannesburg City Power, Reuven Head Office, 0-6-0ST "Elizabeth" RSHN 7805/1954| last=Conradie| first=Pieter| date=2009-05-11| access-date=7 January 2010}}

The station was decommissioned in 1998 after 56 years of service.

In 2006 work was started to transform the site of the power station into an entertainment and business centre.{{cite web|url=http://www.joburgnews.co.za/2006/feb/feb23_orlando_ekhaya.stm|title=Orlando Ekhaya development a new dawn for Soweto|last=Dlamini |first=Ndaba|date=2006-02-23|publisher=City of Johannesburg|access-date=6 January 2010}}

On 25 June 2014, the decommissioned power plant collapsed, killing 1 and trapping 5 others in the rubble.{{Cite web|url=http://citizen.co.za/201279/abandoned-power-station-comes-crashing-down/|title=Abandoned power station comes crashing down|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701040141/http://citizen.co.za/201279/abandoned-power-station-comes-crashing-down/|archive-date=1 July 2014|url-status=unfit}}

Image:Orlando Power Station Cooling Towers Rap Jumping.png down the cooling towers.]]

File:Orlando Power Station HDR.jpg

The two cooling towers are a prominent landmark in Soweto. They were built in 1951 to supplement the spray pond cooling system as this source of cooling was running at its capacity.

Being supplied by sewage effluent from the Klipspruit Sewage Works, the spray ponds at Orlando were the first in South Africa to make use of this ready supply of coolant liquid.{{cite book|author1=Grant, George |author2=Flinn, Taffy |title=Watershed Town. The History of the Johannesburg City Engineer's Department. |publisher=Johannesburg City Council|year=1992|url=http://www.ewisa.co.za/misc/WaterHistory/default20c.htm|access-date=2010-01-07}}

Both towers are painted, one functioning as an advertising billboard and the other containing the largest mural painting in South Africa.{{cite web|url=http://www.southafrica.info/business/investing/opportunities/orlando-ekhaya.htm|title=Soweto calls for investors|last=Sindane|first=Lucky|date=2005-04-15|publisher=City of Johannesburg|access-date=6 January 2010}} The towers are also used for bungee and BASE jumping from a platform between the top of the two towers as well as a bungee swing into one of the towers.{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandotowers.co.za/about_Orlando_Towers.htm|title=about us|publisher=Orlando Towers (Pty) Ltd |access-date=6 January 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.orlandotowers.co.za/adv_swing_inside.htm|title=the ABYSS|date=2010-01-07|publisher=Orlando Towers (Pty) Ltd|access-date=7 January 2010}}

The tower was used for a Fast Forward on the seventh season of The Amazing Race. The task was for one team (Ray & Deana in particular) to walk across a suspension bridge spanning one of the cooling towers 30 storeys above the ground.{{cite web|url=http://www.gameshownewsnet.com/prime/ar7/032905.html|title="I've Been Wanting a Face-Lift for a Long Time - Leg 5" - March 29|work=Game Show Newsnet|access-date=December 27, 2019}} In the movie Chappie the power station is the headquarter of the protagonists, the two iconic cooling towers and the main building are decorated with typical Die Antwoord artwork.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1823672/locations|title = Chappie (2015) - IMDb|website = IMDb}} The towers also appeared on the Dutch television series Wie is de Mol? where contestants in the premiere of the show's thirteenth season bungee jumped off of the towers.{{cite web|url=https://www.afrika.nl/nieuws/spannende-finale-wie-is-de-mol/|title=Spannende finale Wie is de Mol?|language=nl|trans-title=Exciting final Who is the Mole?|last=den Dekker|first=Marjolein|website=Afrika.nl|date=March 8, 2013|access-date=December 26, 2019}} The towers were mentioned in the Season 3, Episode 5 episode of Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5371514/|title=Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan: South Africa: White Lions of Timbavati|language=en|date=February 2, 2016|access-date=April 17, 2022}}

In the second season of Sky One’s An Idiot Abroad the towers feature as Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant attempt to get host Karl Pilkington to bungee jump from a platform suspended between the two to no avail. One of the cameramen however does jump.

{{Portal|South Africa|Energy}}

• List of power stations in South Africa

{{commons category|Orlando Power Station}}

{{reflist}}

{{external media

| image1 = [https://www.flickr.com/photos/pavel/sets/72157622604164954/ Set of photographs by Pavel Tcholakov showing the decay of the structure since its decommissioning]

| image2 = [http://www.allatsea.co.za/trains/images2/jrageorge01.jpg Ex-Orlando George], Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST locomotive

| image3 = [http://www.allatsea.co.za/trains/images/heronmere01.jpg Ex-Orlando Elizabeth], Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST locomotive

| image4 = [https://www.flickr.com/photos/350org/4042071783/ Bungee jumping from the towers]

}}

• [http://www.orlandotowers.co.za/ OrlandoTowers]

{{Greater Johannesburg|city}}

{{Power in South Africa |state=expanded}}

Category:Coal-fired power stations in South Africa

Category:Buildings and structures in Soweto

Category:Economy of Johannesburg

Category:Public art in Johannesburg