The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has expressed hope that the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) will extend the operating licence of Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for a further 20 years after granting the same to Unit 1.
The NNR on Monday granted Eskom a licence to continue operating Koeberg Nuclear power station Unit 1 that provides 930MW to the grid for another 20 years until July 21, 2044.
Necsa said it welcomed the NNR’s finalisation of the Long-Term Operation (LTO) assessment and recommendation giving the green light for Eskom to extend Unit 1 of the Koeberg Nuclear power station’s life operation for an additional 20 years.
Necsa Group CEO Loyiso Tyabashe commended the NNR for ensuring nuclear safety oversight to all licensed nuclear operators and for taking time and effort in an extensive public participation process, where Necsa also got an opportunity to share its support for the life extension of Koeberg.
“We congratulate Eskom for taking due care in their submission to the NNR, which has ensured that the approval is granted for Unit 1. With this track record we are confident that Unit 2 will follow suit, and Necsa is in full support,” Tyabashe said.
“The Koeberg Nuclear power station extension guarantees South Africans a 20-year continuation of secure, clean and affordable energy,” he said.
The extension of Koeberg’s lifespan also comes on the back of Energy and Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa saying that the procurement of 2 500MW of new nuclear power was “at an advanced stage”, and that his department was “finalising the procurement structure” of the new-build project.
The DA is currently challenging in court the National Energy Regulator of SA’s decision to concur with the procurement of 2 500MW of new nuclear power on the grounds of procedural irregularity and irrationality.
However, Ramokgopa has said that South Africa will seek to build a nuclear plant for electricity generation at “a scale and speed that we can afford”, as nuclear power was an important part of the intervention to anchor the baseload.
The Koeberg Alert Alliance, a group of organisations and individuals opposed to the building of further nuclear reactors at Koeberg has not been available for comment since the NNR decision was announced.
However, the Cosatu yesterday said the extension of Koeberg’s lifespan was in line with the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2030 and the Eskom Social Compact, which called for a sustainable energy-mix and Koeberg’s extension until 2040 to help ensure South Africa overcomes its debilitating chapter of load shedding due to generation capacity shortages.
Cosatu’s parliamentary coordinator Matthew Parks said in a statement that Koeberg has been a critical source of reliable and affordable electricity to the grid and its two generation units provided the equivalent of nearly two levels of load shedding.
“Its continued operation is critical as Eskom ramps up its maintenance programme and brings on board new generation capacity,” Parks said.
“These efforts are key to unlocking the economy, saving and creating thousands of badly-needed jobs. While we are not out of the woods yet, we are seeing positive progress including that we have not seen load shedding for the past three months,” he said.
Eskom has operated the Koeberg Nuclear power station safely for 40 years and has invested in safety improvements and extensive maintenance to ensure it continues to operate safely into the future.
Eskom’s chief nuclear officer Keith Featherstone said the granting of the licence was “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,” Featherstone said.
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