Cape Town - It’s full steam ahead for Eskom as the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has given it the green light to operate the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for the next years 20 years until 2044.
The NNR announced yesterday that it approved Eskom’s Long-Term Operation application to operate Koeberg beyond the current licence term of July 21, 2024, for an additional 20 years, to July 21, 2044.
Eskom has welcomed the news, saying Unit 1 provides 930MW to the national grid. It said the unit would join around 120 reactors worldwide that have safely continued operations beyond their initial 40-year life.
Eskom Group executive for generation, Bheki Nxumal, said: “Together with our business partners, we are proud of the achievement that ensures that Africa’s first and only nuclear power plant can now continue to operate safely into the future.”
Eskom Chief Nuclear Officer, Keith Featherstone, said: “The granting of the licence is a testament to the hard work and continued commitment of our teams to nuclear safety and Eskom’s generation recovery plan. Over the years, Koeberg has identified and implemented safety improvements through both French and US nuclear experiences, which have reduced the risk to levels that would normally only be achieved by new, modern nuclear power plants.”
The Koeberg station comprises two pressurised water reactor units which started commercial operation in July 1984 on Unit 1 and in November 1985 on Unit 2. In May 2021, the NNR received an application from Eskom to operate Koeberg beyond the current licence term.
The NNR did not make an announcement on the supplier’s application for Unit 2, and said this would only be handled next year.
NNR CEO Ditebogo Kgomo said that as part of the licence renewal process, they conducted a public consultation period, and that they were pleased by the number of comments received.
“I must remind everyone that the NNR does not operate the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, Eskom does, and it has the primary responsibility for operating the station safely, and in compliance with the licence granted.
“With regards to the representations received during public consultations, we found that the substantive concerns raised on health, safety and environment were adequately addressed by the licence conditions,” Kgomo said.
While the Koeberg licence will be changed to reflect an end date of July 21 2044 for Unit 1, Eskom said it will continue to operate the unit until January 2025, when the unit will be shut down for its next scheduled refuelling and maintenance outage.
They added that for Unit 2, Eskom is implementing some of the prerequisites for Long-Term Operation in the current outage.
Professor David Walwyn, of the UP Graduate School of Technology Management at the University of Pretoria, said: “Is the licence extension beneficial for the country as whole? Well, it depends on whether or not you are pro or anti-nuclear. It is beneficial for the simple reason that we have a lack of generation capacity, which is why we’ve had load shedding. The fact that these licences have been extended means that the likelihood of load shedding has been reduced.”
Sandra Dickson, founder of lobby group Stop CoCT, welcomed the news.
“This is good news as Koeberg is an important and reliant generator of base load for Eskom. Nuclear has come a long way, and Koeberg has proven to be reliable over its life time. A lot of expertise and investment already lies with Koeberg,” Dickson said.
Peter Becker, ex-director of the National Nuclear Director and Koeberg Alert Alliance member said the decision was disappointing as “the submissions that we and other organisations have made, don’t appear to be taken into account when making this decision”.
“At the moment, Koeberg is producing about 2.2% of national electricity demand during peak times so it offers a very small contribution.
“When we look at cost, the benefit and the risk of the plant is not worth the risk of Capetonians having Eskom operate a nuclear plant 26km north of Cape Town,” Becker added.
Becker added that he did not necessarily believe that nuclear energy would be a factor in energy supply for the next 20 years.
“For example, there could be a legal challenge, or a climate event, or an earthquake that renders the plant inoperable. If there is an earthquake of a certain magnitude, it could be shut down for safety concerns, and the possibility of the NNR decision being taken on review to the courts and being set aside after a legal process.”