Power station ruins Klein Brak river
The power station ruin just outside Klein Brak River was built in l922 to supply the first electricity to Mossel Bay in 1924. It is a beautiful and interesting building. The building was abandoned and had become derelict. It had trees growing through what was once a roof. The reason the building was abandoned is that while it was built by the river in order to use the water for cooling, the designers did not take into account that the river was influenced by the. tides
The water is also salty, and materials became corroded, so the station was decommissioned, and the machinery moved elsewhere. The large pools surrounding the station were used by locals as warm swimming pools. he warm seawater which was considered beneficial to rheumatic and arthritic patients. The building was never demolished, and nature took its course.
. The old stone building has now been restored and now houses the Mossgas Information Centre next door to the Santos Protea Hotel. The Centre welcomes visitors and one can obtain insight into the working programme of the Oil Rig, 84km out to sea.
Today, the power station is surrounded by a township aptly named Powertown. Interestingly, The movie Golden Rendezvous was filmed at this location.