South Africa: Eskom Seeks 20-Year Extension For Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2

South Africa’s power utility company, Eskom, has applied to the country’s national nuclear regulator for a 20-year extension of Unit 2 at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant, located in Cape Town.

The current operating license for Unit 2, which has a generation capacity of 930 MWe, will expire next year. In anticipation of this, Eskom has formally applied for an extension.

Speaking at the recently concluded African Energy Week in Cape Town, during a session on Nuclear Energy in Africa: Financing, Economic, and Sustainable Deployment, Velaphi Ntuli, Chief Nuclear Officer at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, stated that Unit 2 is safe and has no operational safety issues—hence the decision to seek an extension.

“Currently, there are no safety issues with Unit 2,” he said.

Mr. Ntuli added that Eskom was optimistic the regulator would approve the application, given the strong case presented.

“We hope that the regulator will rule in our favor and approve our request,” Ntuli stated.

He further told the gathering that Eskom had already completed public hearings in the Northern Cape and would continue the process in the Western Cape, as required by law.

Eskom’s application follows an earlier request for the extension of Unit 1, which was granted by the Nuclear Regulator of South Africa.

Source: https://energynewsafrica.com