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Koeberg Power Plant. Photo Jay Caboz.
Eskom has shut down Unit 1 at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant due to a leak and has accelerated planned routine maintenance, and the unit is ready for operation in May 2021.
The power company did not say whether disconnecting would help reduce the load. Eskom assured that there was no risk to the plant, personnel or the environment from the decision.
According to a statement released by Eskom on Monday, there had been an increasing leak rate at one of the three steam generators in Unit 1.
“Although the leak rate was within safe limits, a conservative decision was made to disconnect unit 1 from Koeberg for repair,” the statement read.
Eskom will also carry out routine maintenance on the unit, as well as refueling, which were originally scheduled for early February.
“The steam generator is a tubular heat exchanger that mechanically dries the steam produced during the nuclear power generation process. The plant shutdown takes several hours and the process is still going on. it will be discharged from the reactor core to allow maintenance activities to take place and address the cause of the increased leakage rate, “said Eskom.
Last year, Eskom introduced Stage 4 load shedding after Unit 1 tripped. The failure was related to a seawater pump cooling the reactors, Fin24 previously reported.
The power company brought Koberg Unit 2 back into service in October 2020, following routine maintenance and refueling that took just over two months and required the assistance of 32 international specialists. Eskom said on Monday that unit 2 is still operating safely and at full capacity.
Following an earthquake in November 2020, the power company issued a statement assuring the public that the nuclear power plant was still operating safely as the earthquake was below the plant’s design limits. No damage was found or reported after an inspection of the plant.
