South Africa's National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has approved a request from power utility Eskom to separate the operating timelines of the two units at the Koeberg NPP. Following a safety assessment, NNR confirmed that its approval to assess the two units separately will not impact the safety of the plant. The new NNR approval authorises the operation of Koeberg 1 until 21 July 2024 and Koeberg 2 until 9 November 2025, in line with their operational design life. NNR noted this does not imply that the long-term operation application for Koeberg has been approved.
Eskom applied to NNR in May 2021 to extend the operational life of the Koeberg NPP beyond the current 40-year licence term. The two 970MWe pressurised water reactors at Koeberg NPP were built by Framatome, and began commercial operation in 1984 and 1985. They generate about 5% of the South Africa’s electricity.
Image: Koeberg nuclear power plant
