Koeberg’s GM leaves to join Canadian nuclear operation

Eskom’s Chief Nuclear Officer, Riedewaan Bakardien, is packing his bags after 27 years at the helm of Africa’s only nuclear power station.

The power utility confined that Bakardien resigned and will be departing from Eskom, on 31 July 2022, to join a Canadian nuclear utility in an executive position.

“Mr Bakardien resigned earlier this year, and is serving his notice period in terms of his employment contract,” said Eskom’s Chief Operating Officer, Jan Oberholzer.

Bakardien will be replaced by a long-standing nuclear executive, with over 30 years of experience in nuclear-fired energy and former Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, Keith Featherstone.

Featherstone will be acting in the Chief Nuclear Officer role, while the recruitment process is underway. 

“As the only nuclear power station in Africa, we have all played a role in keeping the plant safe and the best place to work. The decision to resign was, therefore, by no means an easy decision,” said Bakardien.

But, that’s not the only departure from the nuclear station.

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), in Atlanta, has selected the current acting Koeberg Nuclear Power Station General Manager (PSGM), Nomawethu Mtwebana, to join as a reverse loanee for the next year.

“Ms Mtwebana will be leaving shortly after the completion of the current outage of Unit 2 in July,” explained Oberholzer.

Mtwebana will be a peer reviewer, reviewing performance at various plants in the United States during her time at WANO, and will then bring this learning experience back to Koeberg.

“Mahesh Valaitham, a long-standing Senior Manager with over 27 years of nuclear power plant experience, will be filling the role of Koeberg PSGM in an acting capacity,” said Eskom.

“I wish to assure the people of South Africa and fellow guardians at Eskom that the organisation has access to a sufficiently experienced and competent executive team to continue ensuring a safe and smooth operation at Africa’s only nuclear power station,” said Oberholzer.

Eskom’s intent is to fill both the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station General Manager and the Chief Nuclear Officer positions as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the Koeberg unit that is currently offline for maintenance is due to return to service by the end of the month, but it will take 10 days before it can be fully functional.

Another round of maintenance on the remaining Koeberg unit is expected to begin in December.

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