Name of the Project
Koeberg nuclear power station steam-generator replacement (SGR) 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 1984 and 1985 respectively. The aim of the project is to extend the design life of the nuclear power station by 20 years to 2045.

The project involves the replacement of all six steam generators for units 1 and 2.

The SGR project involves the design, manufacture and installation of three steam generators in each of the Koeberg power plant’s two operating units, as well as safety analyses and studies to comprehensively demonstrate the plant’s design integrity, with no adverse impact on public and worker safety and health or the environment, including the enhancement of nuclear safety.

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

The installation of the generators will be conducted during the scheduled refuelling, inspections and maintenance outages of the two units at Koeberg power station. Eskom is on track and progressing according to plan for installation during the next unit 1 and 2 outages.

The other major components of the life-extension plan include:

• a refuelling water storage tank replacement project, completed in 2019;
• the Unit 2 reactor pressure vessel head replacement, with the installation thereof scheduled for 2022;
• the replacement of feed-train components on the conventional power plant, which is conducted during maintenance outages; and
• the ongoing Koeberg safety aspects of long-term operation assessment. The assessment is designed to provide the equipment-ageing management confirmation to enable the Koeberg plant to operate beyond the original 40 years life span to at least 60 years.

This safety case on the life extension will be presented to the National Nuclear Regulator in mid-2022 to allow for approval of the Koeberg plant’s entering into long-term operation from mid-2024.

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Work on replacing the steam generators for the first of Koeberg’s two units is scheduled to start during a planned outage in January 2022, with the overall project taking two years to complete.

Latest Developments
Eskom has announced the deferral of a project to replace three steam generators at Koeberg Unit 2 to August 2023 following a review, conducted together with nuclear power plant manufacturer Framatome, which has indicated that the replacements are unlikely to be completed within the six-month timeframe allocated for the project.

Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer has said that certain facilities, including the completion of the building that will house the radioactive steam generators being removed, are deemed to be not fully in place to ensure that the replacement can be completed to the expected quality and schedule parameters.

The decision to defer was made on March 3 and amid ongoing supply pressures, which continue to pose a load-shedding risk.

The decision was, therefore, based largely on a desire to ensure that the unit’s 920 MW were available for at least part of the high-demand winter months.

The six-month maintenance schedule has not been shortened because of the deferral, however, as several other long-duration maintenance projects are scheduled to take place in parallel and are proceeding, including the replacement of the reactor pressure vessel head.

Unit 2 was shut for refuelling and an extended maintenance – which included the steam generator replacement programme – on January 18 and will be returned to service in June.

Eskom chief nuclear officer Riedewaan Bakardien has said that Eskom plans to proceed with the replacement of Unit 1’s three steam generators in September, when the next batch of replacement units is scheduled for arrival in South Africa.

The other two replacement steam generators for Unit 1 will arrive in October and/or November.

The much-delayed replacement of the six steam generators is core to Eskom’s decision to extend the life of the Koeberg station beyond the 2024 and 2025 current operating life of the two respective units.

The utility has initiated a process to secure a life extension to 2044 and 2045 for the two respective units. The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) received an application from Eskom on May 10, 2021, for an extension of the power station’s operating life.

The NNR expects to receive Koeberg’s Long Term Operations, or LTO, application safety case by July 2022, after which an adjudication will take place, along with public consultations.

Several stakeholders have raised objections to the life extension and have questioned whether it is prudent for Eskom to proceed with life-extension investments in the absence of a licence.

Bakardien has said that Eskom understands what is required for securing life-extension approval, including the need to replace the six steam generators.

Oberholzer has requested that Framatome provide him with a detailed outline of what will be required for Koeberg to be fully ready for the next outages, as he does not want the life-extension project jeopardised by delays.

“Although there is time, up until the middle of 2024 and 2025, for [securing] the life extension licence, I would like to make 100% sure that we don't push everything right until the end,” he has said.

The cost implications of the deferral are yet to be determined.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Framatome (main SGR contractor); General Electric (modifications to the BoP or secondary turbine system); and Jacobs Engineering (BoP hardware changes).
 
Contact Details for Project Information
Eskom media desk, email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.