In a media statement released July 15, Eskom announced that the operating licence of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 has been extended for another 20 years.
Also read: Safety concerns rise ahead of Koeberg licence decision
According to the media statement, the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) granted the organisation a licence to continue the operations of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1.
The extension will be affected until the 21 July 2044.
The unit provides 930MW to the national grid and is now joins approximately 120 reactors worldwide that have safely continued operations beyond their initial 40-year life.
Eskom has operated the power station safely for 40 years and has invested in safety improvements and maintenance to ensure its longevity.
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Bheki Nxumalo, the Eskom group executive for generation, stated that ‘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.’
Keith Featherstone, Eskom chief nuclear officer, said that the granting of the licence is a testament to the hard work and continued commitment of the teams to nuclear safety and Eskom’s generation recovery plan.
As the Koeberg licence will now be changed to reflect the new end date for Unit 1, Eskom plans to continue operations in the unit until January 2025.
The unit will then be shut down for its next scheduled refuelling and maintenance outage.
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In terms of the next steps Eskom intends to take, Koeberg Power Station is implementing some of the pre-requisites for long-term operation in the current outage in Unit 2.
The licence for Unit 2 is only set to expire on 9 November 2025. Once the current outage for this unit is complete, Unit 2 will be returned to service. A decision regarding its operating future will be made at a later stage.
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Picture: Shaun Roy / Gallo Images