Eskom announced today that the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has granted a license to continue operating Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1, which provides 930MW to the grid, for another 20 years until July 21, 2044.
With this extension, Koeberg Unit 1 will join around 120 reactors worldwide that have safely operated beyond their initial 40-year lifespan.
Eskom has safely operated Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for 40 years, investing in safety improvements and extensive maintenance to ensure its continued safe operation into the future.
“Together with our business partners, we are proud of the achievement that ensures that Africa’s first and only nuclear power plant can now continue to operate safely into the future,” said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom Group Executive for Generation.
“The granting of the licence is a testament to the hard work and continued commitment of our teams to nuclear safety and Eskom’s generation recovery plan,” said Keith Featherstone, Eskom Chief Nuclear Officer.
“Over the years, Koeberg has identified and implemented safety improvements through both French and US nuclear experiences, which have reduced the risk to levels that would normally only be achieved by new, modern nuclear power plants,” concluded Featherstone.
Next steps
As the Koeberg licence will be changed to reflect an end date of 21 July 2044 for Unit 1, Eskom will continue to operate the unit until January 2025, when the unit will be shut down for its next scheduled refuelling and maintenance outage.
The current licence for Koeberg Unit 2 only expires on 9 November 2025, and the Koeberg Power Station is implementing some of the pre-requisites for Long Term Operation in the current outage. Once the current outage is complete, Unit 2 will be returned to service, and the NNR has stated that the decision regarding the Long Term Operation for Unit 2 will only be made at a later date, but prior to 9 November 2025.
