Athlone Power Station

[2] Athlone Power Station was situated on the N2 freeway into the city, consisted of a large brick generation building, two 99m brick chimneys, and two cooling towers, fed by reclaimed water from a nearby sewage plant.

It was commissioned in 1962 with 6 turbines with a nominal capacity of 180 megawatts, and operated by the City of Cape Town.

[3] By 2003, significant investment was required due to the age of the power station, so generation ended.

[4] Athlone was the last coal-fired power station operating in Cape Town; the others, in the city centre and Salt River, were demolished in the 1980s and 1990s.

[8] The power station building and two 99m high chimneys are still standing while the city decides on the future of the site.

Image of the Power Station before the demolition of the cooling towers. The reinforcing bands on the right tower failed, necessitating the demolition of both towers on 22 August 2010.
Demolition of the cooling towers