Eskom will take unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station offline on Monday, 17 January, for a regular refuelling and maintenance outage that is scheduled for five months.<\/p>\n
“This will be the 25th refuelling outage on unit 2 since commissioning and will also see the replacement of the unit\u2019s three steam generators. During this outage the reactor pressure vessel head, which houses the nuclear fuel while the station is in operation, will also be replaced, Eskom said in a statement.<\/p>\n
It said that the Koeberg unit 1 outage, of a similar duration, will follow later in the year during which the unit 1 steam generators will also be replaced; its reactor pressure vessel head was replaced several years ago.<\/p>\n
The Koeberg units, at 920MW each, are the largest generating units on the African continent, the state company said. “The Koeberg outages are planned at times of the year when the impact on the overall electricity supply is minimised as far as possible.<\/p>\n
“The extended unavailability of the units due to the planned long outages does mean the electricity supply system may be under additional strain during the coming year.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is going to be a long, but needed outage \u2013 the first of its kind for Koeberg. Our staff are prepared and committed to make history by ensuring success of this project,\u201d said Riedewaan Bakardien, Eskom\u2019s chief nuclear officer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNuclear safety is the paramount factor. We will progress the outage work diligently, making sure nuclear safety and safety of plant, personnel and public is top of mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
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