Extending the lifespan of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is the best investment the country can make to ensure the provision of adequate electricity generation capacity.
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This is according to Eskom management, who reiterated their stance on the matter in their address at a joint meeting of Parliament’s public enterprises and mineral resources and energy portfolio committees on Wednesday.
Among other issues that were raised during the meeting were Eskom’s excessive diesel costs and the decommissioning and repurposing of the Komati coal-fired power station.
Koeberg’s licence is due to expire in 2024, but Eskom will be extending its lifespan by updating key areas of the plant, including the steam generators.
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“We have been engaged during previous outages on plugging of those cracks,” said Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter, confirming that the power utility was in consultation over the generators with the National Nuclear Regulator, which oversees the safety aspects of the plant.
“We have been able to maintain them but in order to ensure that we can extend the life of the plant, we need to replace those generators in totality.”
The CEO emphasised that work at the site was being carried out safely and would not put the public in any harm’s way.
“This is the lowest-cost carbon-free electricity South Africa has at its disposal,” De Ruyter added. “From a business perspective, extending the life really makes an enormous amount of sense for the country.”
“We can give you the assurance that Koeberg has and always will be operated safely. We will not take any chances with this nuclear facility.”
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Photo: Cape{town}Etc/ Murray Swart