Electricity and Energy Minister, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has welcomed the announcement made by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) on the licence extension for the operating life of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1.

On Monday, Eskom announced that the NNR had granted the power utility the licence to continue that unit for another 20 years until 21 July 2044.

‘The extension of the operating life of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 will not only ensure the continued supply of electricity to meet the growing demand, but also contribute to our efforts in transitioning towards a cleaner, more affordable and sustainable energy future.

‘We look forward to the continued safe and reliable operation of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 as we work towards meeting our energy needs,’ Ramokgopa said.

Eskom Chief Nuclear Officer Keith Featherstone said the granting of the licence is ‘a testament to the hard work and continued commitment of our teams to nuclear safety and Eskom’s generation recovery plan’.

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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.

The power utility explained that the unit will continue to operate until January 2025 ‘when the unit will be shut down for its next scheduled refuelling and maintenance outage’.

‘The current licence for Koeberg Unit 2 only expires on 9 November 2025 and the Koeberg Power Station is implementing some of the pre-requisites for Long Term Operation in the current outage.

‘Once the current outage is complete, Unit 2 will be returned to service, and the NNR has stated that the decision regarding the Long-Term Operation for Unit 2 will only be made at a later date, but prior to 9 November 2025,’ Eskom said.

Source: South African Government News Agency