Energy

Tue, 11 March 2025

Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station was successfully brought back into service on Sunday, and the unit has been incrementally ramped up to 646MW in accordance with established operational protocols.

Eskom says the unit will continue to increase its output until it reaches its full capacity of 930MW following the unplanned outage due to a steam leak on the reheat system last week.

Koeberg unit 2 had first tripped on Sunday 2 March during the execution of work on unit 1, which is currently offline for work to be conducted as part of the Long-Term Operation (LTO) program, and then tripped again later in the week.

The recent Long-Term Operation (LTO) programme for unit 2 included the replacement of three steam generators, extensive inspections, and refuelling activities.

According to Eskom, the safe design, operation, maintenance, and improvement of Koeberg over the past 40 years paved the way for the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) to grant a licence in 2024 for the continued operation of unit 1 until 21 July 2044.

With the licence extension which is expected to contribute over 930MW to the grid for another 20 years, Koeberg joins approximately 120 reactors worldwide that have extended operations beyond their initial 40-year lifespan.

Given that unit 2 is in a similar condition as unit 1, Eskom submitted a request to extend its operations for another 20 years beyond its current licence expiry on 9 November 2025 to the nuclear regulator.

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