South Africans will feel just a bit of relief as Eskom suspends loadshedding for the weekend.
Eskom said due to stable generation capacity with breakdowns at 13 158MW and planned maintenance at 6 051MW of generation capacity, loadshedding will remain suspended today until 4pm on Monday. Thereafter, Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 4pm until 5am on Tuesday.
Loadshedding will then be suspended from 5am until 4pm and Stage 2 implemented from 4pm until 5am on Wednesday.
This pattern will be repeated daily until further notice. Eskom will communicate should any significant changes occur.
Also read: Another Kusile unit boosts grid, loadshedding nears end
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The power utility released a statement yesterday regarding the progress of Koeberg Unit 1. The statement noted that the steam rising from the Koeberg Power Station, near residential areas, signifies positive news for the workers at Koeberg, indicating that the Unit 1 outage is nearing its end.
The replacement of steam generators in Unit 1 has been successful, and it’s expected to be synchronised with the grid by the end of October 2023.
Following this, it will gradually increase its power output over two weeks while undergoing commissioning tests. This milestone is part of Eskom’s Generation Operational Recovery Plan, with the aim of achieving a 65% energy availability factor by March 2024.
Eskom said the return of Unit 1 is a thorough and deliberate process, ensuring safety systems function correctly. The reactor circuit’s water, including the steam generators, has been brought to operating pressure and temperature. Various safety tests have been conducted, with more to come before and after the nuclear reaction startup.
Successful commissioning tests will mark the end of a challenging journey to replace the steam generators, signifying the return of Unit 1 to commercial operation.
The replacement of steam generators in Unit 2 is scheduled to follow Unit 1’s commissioning and has been delayed to mid-November 2023. However, the experience gained from Unit 1’s installation is expected to reduce the downtime for Unit 2.
The steam generator replacement was a prerequisite for Koeberg to safely operate beyond its initial licenced period of 40 years, extending its operation beyond 2024.
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Picture: Unsplash
