Name of the Project
Koeberg nuclear power station steam-generator replacement project.

Location
Western Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
Eskom.

Project Description
The current steam generators in Unit 1 and Unit 2 at the Koeberg nuclear power station have been in operation since 1983/4 and 1984/5 respectively. The aim of the project is to extend the design life of the nuclear power station by 20 years.

The project involves the replacement of all six steam generators at Unit 1 and Unit 2.

This will involve the design, manufacture and installation of three steam generators in each of the two operating units, as well as the safety analyses and studies required for the replacement of the six steam generators.

The new generators will incorporate modern design features for easy maintenance and inspections, and improve heat-transfer efficiency, leading to the overall efficiency of the power station.

The installation of the generators will be conducted during the scheduled refuelling, inspections and maintenance outages of the two units at the power station.

Eskom awarded the steam-generator contract to Areva in September 2014, but Westinghouse Electric Company, which also bid, objected and launched an expedited review application in the South Gauteng High Court.

The High Court found in favour of Eskom, but following an appeal, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) ruled that Eskom’s tender committee had acted unlawfully by taking account of considerations not included as adjudication criteria in the original tender.

The SCA did not, however, interdict the contract from proceeding and instead referred the tender back to Eskom for reconsideration.

Eskom approached the Constitutional Court in January 2016 in a bid to have the SCA ruling overturned and in December of that year the highest court in the land found in the utility’s favour.

Capital Expenditure
R4.3-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
The first three steam generators are scheduled to be installed at Unit 1 between February 2021 and June 2021.

The replacement of steam generators at Unit 2, which is undergoing a refuelling outage until mid-October, has been planned to coincide with the unit’s next maintenance and refuelling outage between January 2022 and May 2022.

Latest Developments
The steam generator replacement project has marked a major milestone with the arrival of the first units in Cape Town.

Each steam generator is 20 m long and weighs about 380 t. The first units were transported 40 km from the Cape Town Harbour to Koeberg using abnormal-load vehicles.

The new steam generators will be housed in a specially constructed facility, until the old steam generators are removed.

Eskom says that, once removed, the current steam generators will be stored on the Koeberg site, where they will be packaged and dismantled for final disposal at a national nuclear waste repository.

The repository site has not been identified, but the utility has indicated that final disposal is the responsibility of the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute.

Eskom says that the replacement of steam generators is the most intensive and expensive project that a nuclear power station can undertake, but notes that several stations internationally have already done so successfully. 

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Group Five and Lesedi Nuclear Services (design, manufacture and replacement of refuelling water storage tanks) and Areva (steam generators).

Contact Details for Project Information
Eskom, tel +27 11 800 8111.
Group Five, tel +27 11 806 0111.
Lesedi Nuclear Services, tel + 27 21 525 1300 or fax +27 21 5251333.