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Koeberg’s electricity unit 1 has only been up and running for a matter of weeks after it was closed for essential repairs. But after coming back into service in January, it has only returned to cause more problems. About 930 MW of power has been taken off the national grid because of its breakdown.

“The unit has been disconnected from the grid due to a fault on the turbine side. The nuclear reactor remains safe. Our teams are investigating the root cause of the fault, and will advise of the remedy as soon as its established,” said an Eskom statement on Tuesday 10 March.

Safcei’s executive director Francesca de Gasparis said that “as a result of unchecked, ongoing mismanagement and corruption over the years, Eskom has allowed its equipment and infrastructure to age and damage”.

“Out-of-order coal plants, an ageing nuclear plant and an unstable grid, these have all culminated into load shedding that has, at times, reached up to Stage 6,” she said.

Like an old car, the problems at Koeberg will increase

Peter Becker from Koeberg Alert Alliance explained that Koeberg was built in the 1980s, which means some of its components are almost 40 years old. It’s hardly surprising that there are failures. And, like an old car, the problems will only increase as time goes on,” said Becker.

Becker says that even though Eskom claims that the reactor is safe, one of the safety mechanisms at Koeberg is a reliance on the national grid.

“If the reactors need to be shut down for any reason, they no longer produce electricity. This means that to continue to operate the plant and to prevent the high-level waste stored at Koeberg from overheating and melting, electricity must be available to Koeberg from an external source,” he explained.

Plea to shut down Eskom’s Koeberg power plant

Becker said that keeping Koeberg running is a risk and rightfully said.

“With the current instability of the grid in South Africa, it is questionable whether it is worth taking the extra risk of keeping Koeberg running,” he said.

“We may think we are in a bad situation now, with the coronavirus outbreak, the economy and electricity shortages, but can you imagine if a nuclear incident at Koeberg – which required mass evacuation – was added to that?” asked Becker.

According to De Gasparis, the latest problem at Koeberg is cause for serious concern since the plant should reach the end of its operating life in 2024 and Eskom wants to keep it running until 2044.

“While there have been upgrades to the plant, one has to question whether extending its life is the safest option for South Africans and an affordable option for the country’s energy needs,” said De Gasparis.

Eskom should focus on unlocking renewable energy

With Eskom’s appalling track record, can South Africans really rely on the power utility to install and safely maintain the Koeberg plant for an additional 20 years?

“Safcei believes that the time has come for Eskom to move forward with decommissioning Koeberg, not extending its life. If we mean to adequately address climate change, Eskom should move to focus its attention to unlocking the potential of renewable energy and incorporating it more substantially,” said de Gasparis.

In Safcei’s submission to the Zondo Commission of Enquiry last year, it highlighted the numerous allegations of poor decision-making and corruption, which is compounding the suffering of South Africans.

“The lack of ethical governance at the SOE in recent years must be addressed and citizens and businesses must start seeing culprits being brought to book. Citizens cannot continue to pay — through increased tariffs and ongoing, disruptive load shedding — for Eskom’s mistakes, while they run scot-free,” added de Gasparis.