Koeberg contract extended as repairs continue to miss deadlines

by | Nov 15, 2023

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Repairs have been delayed despite receiving approval from the national regulators. Its contract is expected to be extended beyond the 2024 expiry, but the matter remains uncertain

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Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned utility, has encountered delays in restarting Koeberg Unit 1 despite receiving permission from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR).

The unit underwent an extended maintenance outage, initially scheduled for a 180-day hiatus starting December 10, 2022, with the aim of resuming production in June 2023. The outage included replacing the unit’s three steam generators, a crucial step for Eskom’s application to the NNR for a 20-year operating license extension beyond its current expiry in 2024.

However, setbacks led to missed deadlines, and the unit’s return to service is still uncertain, pending resolution of emergent issues on the secondary side of the plant. Eskom confirmed that the turbine side of the nuclear plant is currently under scrutiny. Unit 2’s outage is deferred until Unit 1 is back in operation.

The extended outage fueled concerns about potential strain on the power grid, prone to load shedding, as both units might be simultaneously offline. Eskom, facing challenges with grid synchronization, initially set a target date of November 3, later shifted to November 13. The testing period for Unit 1 is estimated at around 14 days.

The utility remains silent on the separation of Unit 1 and Unit 2 licenses, crucial for Koeberg’s operation for an additional two decades. While Eskom emphasizes Unit 2’s delayed operational commencement relative to Unit 1 in 1985, its 40-year license’s proposed extension beyond July 21, 2024, remains uncertain. The licensing matter for Unit 2 is considered a pivotal risk for Koeberg’s extended operation.

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