South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom said Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 was safely taken offline just before 1 a.m. on Thursday following a turbine trip.
Eskom said in a statement that all plant monitoring systems confirmed operating conditions remained stable throughout the event.
“Nuclear safety was never compromised and there was no risk to employees, the public or the environment,” the utility said, adding that Koeberg’s protection and monitoring systems functioned as designed.
The removal of Unit 1 from the grid poses no risk to the country’s electricity supply, Eskom said. The utility has sufficient generation capacity available and the national grid remains stable and secure.
Unit 1 was last taken offline for major maintenance, which was completed in October 2025.
The unit has operated reliably since then, although its generation was temporarily reduced in August 2026 as a precautionary measure because of challenges with seawater intake linked to an influx of sardines near the station’s cooling-water system.
During the same period, increased sardine mortality was reported along South Africa’s southwestern and West coasts.
The matter remains under investigation by an inter-agency team led by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).
There is currently no evidence linking the sardine mortality incidents to the operations of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, Eskom said.
The cause of the turbine trip is under investigation.
Eskom said it would provide further updates as more information becomes available.
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