- Eskom says that Koeberg Unit 1 is expected to return to operation in November, and with add around 920MW of electricity to the power grid
- With both units running, Koeberg Nuclear Power Station will produce 1 860MW of power, or reduce loadshedding by nearly 2 stages.
- However, Koeberg Unit 2 is planned to be taken offline for maintenance as well in the near future, so gains could be short lived.
After being offline for more than a year, Unit 1 of the Koeberg nuclear power plant is set to return to service in November, and with it around 920MW of electricity to reduce loadshedding.
Initially, the unit was supposed to have been offline until June, then repairs were further delayed until August, and now it looks like November has been confirmed by Eskom for the return timeframe.
The resumption of operation with Unit 1 in conjunction with Unit 2 will see around 1 860MW of generating capacity or nearly 2 stages of loadshedding worth of power. For example, what was Stage 4 will become Stage 2, or what was Stage 2 would mean that outages are suspended.
Effectively this means that South Africa may see reduced loadshedding, at least until Unit 2 is taken offline for its own repairs.
Unit 1 of Africa’s only nuclear power station was turned off in December last year to embark on a massive maintenance project to replace the steam generators on the unit. This is set to make the unit more efficient and safe, and adding capacity to generate an extra 25MW.
“The replacement of the steam generators is the last of the large components that Eskom deemed necessary to be replaced in support of its application to operate the Koeberg units for another 20 years,” the power utility said, as per SA News.
Eskom previously replaced the refuelling water storage tanks and the reactor vessel closure heads at both units in previous years.
Koeberg and its generating units have the highest energy availability factor in the Eskom fleet, around 94.87 percent, meaning that it is the utility’s best power station in terms of power it can produce
The delay in returning Unit 1 to operation has thrown off Eskom’s timeline for the maintenance of the Koeberg generators. After Unit 1 was supposed to be fixed, the utility would begin maintenance on Unit 2 to replace the steam generator.
Unit 2 was expected to be taken offline in October, but now this could also face delays as Unit 1 is only to be operational again in November. Having both units offline would remove 2 stages of loadshedding worth of power from the grid, something that would hamper Eskom’s efforts to right its ship and reduce outages in recent months.
Delays in the maintenance and operation at Koeberg have reportedly cost the South African economy over R500 billion since the project began.
Until Unit 2 is taken offline, South Africans can expect loadshedding to be reduced in the summer periods somewhat. Even though the demand for power will lessen, increased maintenance will keep loadshedding at around the same level.
If Unit 2, however, is taken offline immediately after Unit 1 is returned then South Africa will simply remain as it is when it comes to outages.
