Eskom will go ahead with plans to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear plant by 20 years, despite criticism from environmental groups concerned about nuclear waste management. Photo: David Harrison
Eskom will go ahead with plans to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear plant by 20 years, despite criticism from environmental groups concerned about nuclear waste management.
Sources at the utility close to the matter have revealed to the Mail & Guardian plans to extend Koeberg’s life.
“Koeberg is a very critical plant for South Africa. Killing it will be detrimental. It will continue until 2044, and if it still works, it will be given another 20 years. Only people who do not know that renewable energy is not reliable want to close it,” he said.
The source added that Eskom is aware of environmental issues but said, “Eskom will die without using nuclear plants.”
Last year, former Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter expressed a similar view: “Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is an important part of Eskom’s generating fleet due to its reliable operation, low primary energy costs, strategic location in the Western Cape to stabilize the national electricity grid and the fact sure it’s a clean source of energy.
Koeberg, which should arrive by the end of next year, has been operational since 1984.
Last year, Eskom applied for a license extension with the National Nuclear Regulator.
Environmental groups have argued that the plant cannot safely dispose of nuclear waste and that this has become a major concern.
On Tuesday, Eskom announced that it had removed the first Unit One steam generator at Koeberg from a container building and placed it in a storage building, a development it described as a historic milestone.
The unit is under planned maintenance outage to replace the steam generator.
This is in line with the government’s Intervention One Energy Action Plan, which aims to ensure all power plants are well maintained and operating optimally to prevent a reduction in energy availability.
After the replacement of Unit One is complete, Eskom plans to implement a similar blackout in Unit Two, so that there will be no electricity production from half of Koeberg for most of this year. Once completed, the unit will deliver stable energy to the grid, Eskom believes.
The steam generator replacement project is an important part of Eskom’s plan to extend the life of Koeberg by 20 years beyond its expiry date.
Eskom has maintained Koeberg as a critical component of the country’s energy mix, providing a stable source of baseload power that is important to the economy.
By 2020, the government is proposing a new policy that will increase South Africa’s nuclear energy capacity by 2.5GW. This was met with criticism from environmental groups, who said the focus should be on renewable energy sources, rather than nuclear power.
Several civil society organizations, including the South African Faith Community Environmental Institute (SAFCEI), Project 90 by 2030, The Green Connection and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg have argued that while the electricity crisis requires urgent action, solving the problem should not compromise the rights of citizens . continue to use nuclear power.
SAFCEI executive director Francesca de Gasparis said: “The problems we have seen in Koeberg over the past few years and the unreliability of the network and the level of corruption alleged at Eskom affect the possibility of this proposed effort.”
De Gasparis added concerns from the potential problem of box collapse due to load-shedding to worries about the container building, which prevents radioactive leaks, being compromised during the repair of Koeberg.
Koeberg has experienced a series of maintenance and safety issues that have raised questions about the plant’s long-term viability.
In 2019, Eskom was forced to shut down one of its Koeberg reactors almost a year after a fault was discovered in the unit’s cooling system.
Sources at Eskom say nuclear energy is an important component of a diversified energy mix, but it costs the utility more than R10 billion a year to dispose of its waste.
The storage of nuclear waste at Koeberg places a financial burden on Eskom. Utilities are required to maintain the pool where it is stored and ensure the safety of waste, which requires significant resources. The longer waste remains in Koeberg, the more expensive it is to manage and store it.
In response to questions, the utility said it has robust systems in place to manage nuclear waste.
Waste is stored on site in large containers and ponds, awaiting a long-term storage solution.
“The utility has been looking for a suitable site for permanent nuclear waste storage for decades. However, finding a location that meets the necessary geological and environmental criteria, as well as having the support of the local community, has been a significant challenge,” said an Eskom source.
The pool, which was only designed to be a temporary solution, has been filling up for years, and experts warn that it is nearing capacity.
In 2017, Eskom was granted a five-year extension to store nuclear waste in the pool, on the condition that it provide a long-term solution. However, with the deadline looming, Eskom has yet to provide a workable plan for safe disposal of waste.
“Failure to deal with the problem of nuclear waste in Koeberg is not only a threat to the environment but also to the safety of the surrounding communities. The waste, which is highly radioactive, can remain dangerous for thousands of years. If not stored properly, it can leak into the environment and cause serious health problems for humans and wild animals,” said Earthlife Africa Johannesburg director Makoma Lekalakala.
Mandisa Nyathi is a fellow climate reporter, funded by the Open Society Foundation for South Africa.