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Unit 1 of the Koeberg nuclear power station, in the Western Cape, will be shut down for over seven weeks for a scheduled refuelling, inspection and maintenance outage, parastatal Eskom has advised.
As a result, the system was expected to be “particularly tight” for the next two weeks until two coal-fired generators returned to service from maintenance, alleviating the constraint.
Koeberg Unit 1 would be shut down on November 11 and was expected to return to service in the fourth week of December.
Unit 2 at Koeberg would continue to operate at full power.
Both units at Koeberg are routinely shut down for refuelling, inspection and maintenance every 16 to 18 months. This is scheduled in advance to prevent having both units out of service at the same time.
During these routine planned outages, a third of the used nuclear fuel is replaced with new fuel, statutory inspections and maintenance are performed, and modifications, that will ensure that international safety standards continue to be met or that improve the plant performance, are implemented.
While the power utility stated that the scheduled shutdown of Koeberg Unit 1 was part of its overall maintenance programme for its fleet of power stations, and was not expected to result in a shortage of supply to the Western Cape or the rest of the country, it added that several other power station units were also currently in various stages of maintenance, placing further strain on the grid.
“The power system remains tight and balancing demand and supply is a daily challenge. We need the partnership of all South Africans to keep the lights on, and urge all customers to use electricity sparingly and wisely and to switch off, particularly over the evening peak,” said Eskom.