Eskom attends to global atomic regulator’s safety review of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said despite many challenges, Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has made progress in ageing management activities and preparation for safe Long-Term Operation (LTO) since the first Pre-Safety Aspects of the Long-Term Operation (SALTO) mission in 2015.

The IAEA team of nuclear professionals from eight countries reviewed the safety aspects of Koeberg’s LTO to extend the life of the power station by 20 years, including preparedness, organisation, and programmes for safe operation.

Eskom said the ten-person team comprising nuclear experts from Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden and two IAEA staff members were also impressed with the attitude and professionalism of Koeberg staff.

The IAEA visit to Koeberg, at the invitation of the Department of Minerals and Energy (DMRE), was part of Eskom’s preparations for the safe extension of Koeberg’s operating life.

Team leader Gabor Petofi, a Senior Nuclear Safety Officer at the IAEA said the team observed staff at the plant to be professional, open, and receptive to suggestions for improvement.

“Despite challenges, the plant has eliminated several deviations in ageing management activities and preparation for safe LTO since the Pre-SALTO mission in 2019.

“The SALTO team encourages Eskom and the plant management to address findings […] and to implement all remaining activities for safe LTO.”

Last month, Eskom delayed the replacement of three steam generators (SGR) at the Koeberg Power Station until next year to avoid the risk of impacting electricity supply and generation capacity.

This was announced by chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer during an update on the Koeberg Power Station unit 2 outage.

The Koeberg Power Station unit 2 shut down on 18 January 2022, due to a fuelling and maintenance outage, the scope of which included the replacement of the three steam generators on the unit.

Despite the satisfactory review by the IAEA team, a report by Daily Maverick stated there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to the recent ongoings at the nuclear site.

The report revealed an incident of human error that occurred at the plant.

“It sounds like a small thing, but in recent days a technician onsite at Koeberg accidentally cut a valve on the reactor known as Unit 1, instead of the same valve on Unit 2, which has been down for scheduled maintenance since January.”

In his statement, Katse Maphoto, Chief Director: Nuclear Safety and Technology of the Department of Minerals and Energy, emphasised the strategic importance of Koeberg LTO from national energy security and grid balance point of view.

 “The government remains optimistic that the LTO project will benefit a lot from this IAEA mission recommendations for the power station to achieve the highest level of safety that is on par with the best practices globally.”

Maphoto said there had been significant progress on the LTO, and Eskom is well set on the path to extending Koeberg’s life, adding that the power utility will attend to the recommendations and suggestions that came out of this IAEA mission.

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