South Africa Extends Koeberg Unit 1’s Lifespan, Stands Firm on Nuclear Expansion Plans

South African state-owned utility Eskom has garnered the National Nuclear Regulator’s (NNR’s) approval to continue operating Unit 1 of the 1,860-MW Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for another 20 years, until July 21, 2044.

The nuclear regulator’s approval effectively extends the lifetime of the 930-MW unit to 60 years. The unit’s current 40-year license was set to expire on July 21, 2024. On Monday, the NNR said that an evaluation process for the Koeberg 2 is “still in progress,” but because Unit 2’s license will be valid until November 9, 2025, “the decision is deferred to be made before November 2025.”

More Than 100 Days Without Load Shed

The NNR’s action marks a notable milestone in South Africa’s efforts to revamp its generation profile. While the country has grappled with nearly 15 years of crippling capacity shortages, which have translated to frequent power cuts, it is currently enjoying a prolonged period without load shed—remarkable for its winter period.

July 12 marked the 107th consecutive day of uninterrupted power supply since March 26, 2024. The utility last met that milestone between September and December 2020. “This ongoing stability is a testament to the dedicated efforts of Eskom’s 40,000 employees in implementing the Generation Recovery Plan, which began in March 2023, as well as carrying out extensive planned maintenance. Both plans continue to significantly improve the reliability, efficiency, and availability of our coal generation fleet, benefiting South Africa,” the utility said.

Announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2022, the plan set out a number of parameters, including to reduce Eskom’s forced outages to less than 16 GW, increase the load factor of the utility’s open-cycle gas turbines, expedit the return of four coal units (Medupi 4, Kusile 1, 2, and 3), introduce demand response, and incentivize a mass build out of new capacity through independent power producers (IPPs). “Eskom’s operational efficiency continues to surpass planned expectations, with current unplanned outages averaging at 12,500MW since the start of FY25 and today’s figure recorded at 12,011MW, significantly lower than the winter forecast,” it said.

LTO For Koeberg 1 Marks a Major Milestone

Still, Eskom remains heavily reliant on Koeberg’s two reactors, which produce an estimated 4.4% of South Africa’s power. Koeberg 1 came online in 1984, and Koeberg 2 in 1985. The two units are located at Duynefontein, 27 kilometers north of Cape Town on the Atlantic coast, and remain Africa’s only nuclear reactors. The plant comprises two three-loop pressurized water reactors (PWRs) built by a French consortium (Framatome and Alstom) based on a Westinghouse design.

Koeberg Long-Term Operation (LTO) project kicked off in 2010. It has involved the replacement of several components, including the original low-pressure turbines for the  plant generators, transformers, refueling water storage tanks, and steam generators. 

Koeberg Long-Term Operation (LTO) project kicked off in 2010. It has involved the replacement of several components, including the original low-pressure turbines for the plant generators, transformers, refueling water storage tanks, and steam generators. In November 2023, Eskom synchronized Koeberg 1 to the grid after an almost year-long outage, during which the unit’s original three steam generators were successfully replaced. “The replacement of steam generators is a huge milestone in the life of Koeberg as it was identified by Eskom as a prerequisite for the extension of the operating license for Koeberg beyond its original design life of 40 years,” the utility noted.

“The granting of the license 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’s Chief Nuclear Officer. “Over the years, Koeberg has identified and implemented safety improvements through both French and U.S. nuclear experiences, which have reduced the risk to levels that would normally only be achieved by new, modern nuclear power plants,” he added. 

Furthering a Procurement for 2.5 GW of  New Nuclear

Meanwhile, the South African government is mulling how best to add 2.5 GW of new nuclear capacity, as outlined in a 2019 integrated resource plan (IRP). The measure is politically fraught: In 2017, a high court invalidated the country’s 2010 nuclear new build program, which fostered a subsequent agreement with Rosatom to build up to 9.6 GW of nuclear capacity by 2030. The 2019 IRP appeared to abandon a large nuclear expansion, calling instead for a life extension at Koeberg and a nuclear build program at a “pace and scale that the country can afford,” including for small modular reactors (SMRs).

Potential sites include Thyspunt, west of Port Elizabeth, at a coastal site in the Eastern Cape that faces the Indian Ocean and the Duynefontein site in the Western Cape, near the Koeberg nuclear plant.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) confirmed in December 2023 that it would proceed with the procurement and planned to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for 2.5 of new nuclear by March 2024 after getting approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).

NERSA, in October 2021, said its concurrence with the process to procure 2.5 GW was conditional upon several “suspensive” conditions, including the need to “establish rationality” through a demand and generation profile analysis and confirmation that engineering, procurement, and construction contract principles would be used during the procurement phase. The DMRE submitted its response to the conditions in July 2023, and NERSA issued its concurrence in September 2023. The RFP may now be launched ahead of the finalization of the 2023 IRP, a process for which South Africa launched in January.

On July 8, during a press briefing, the country’s new Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, underscored a firm commitment to advancing South Africa’s 2.5 GW nuclear procurement program. Ramokgopa said his ministry and the DMRE “are getting to the stage” of putting together a framework on nuclear procurement that will consider a financing instrument while retaining Eskom as an operator. “We’ll ensure that any nuclear procurement framework we come up with is credible and transparent,” he said. The new government is prepared to defend it in court, he stressed.

—Sonal Patel is a POWER senior editor (@sonalcpatel, @POWERmagazine).