ANALYSIS | Further delay in life-extension of Koeberg nuclear reactor worsens power outlook | Business

Eskom is planning a further 200-day shutdown of the reactor at its Koeberg nuclear power station, writesEskom is planning a further 200-day shutdown of the reactor at its Koeberg nuclear power station that is currently offline for maintenance, refuelling and refurbishment in preparation for a 20-year life-extension.

Eskom is in a race against time to meet the stringent requirements for extending Koeberg’s operating licence before the deadline of 21 July 2024, when the independent National Nuclear Regulator will have to decide whether Koeberg is able to safely operate for another twenty years. From the above, it would appear that Koeberg Unit 1 will only resume operation after its licence is extended by the NNR, and after a further 200-day outage of Koeberg Unit 1 starting on 24 July 2024 and ending mid-February 2025.The outage currently underway on Unit 1, known as outage 126, began on 10 December 2022 and includes maintenance, refuelling, replacement of three steam generators and other life-extension work.

This may be possible because Units 1 and 2 were commissioned and commenced operation a year apart, in 1884 and 1985 respectively. Eskom says it is confident that the NNR will agree to the two separate licences as above, but the decision by the regulator is still awaited. It has been previously indicated to EE Business Intelligence that corrosion of steel reinforcing under coastal conditions is resulting in cracks in the concrete of the nuclear reactor containment silos, and that this requires ongoing maintenance and repair work.

However, the total capital cost of the Koeberg life-extension project is particularly murky, and will likely never be known publicly. This is because many of the capital costs, such as the replacement of the reactor head on Unit 1, and several other plant replacements and refurbishments have been treated by Eskom as normal routine maintenance, and expensed.

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