| Koeberg Nuclear Power Station | |
|---|---|
 Koeburg Nuclear Power Station and its two pressurised light-water nuclear reactors | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | Melkbosstrand |
| Coordinates | 33°40′35.2″S18°25′55.37″E / 33.676444°S 18.4320472°E /-33.676444; 18.4320472 |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1976 |
| Commission date | 1984 |
| Owner | Eskom |
| Operator | Eskom |
| Employees | 1,200 |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactors | 2 |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Reactor supplier | Framatome |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 x 970 MW |
| Make and model | Areva CP-1 |
| Nameplate capacity | 1,940MW |
| Capacity factor | 80.4% |
| Annual net output | 13,668GW·h |
| External links | |
| Website | https://www.eskom.co.za/eskom-divisions/gx/koeberg-nuclear-power-station/ |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
 | |
Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is anuclear power station in South Africa and is the only one built on theAfrican continent. It is located 30 km north ofCape Town, nearMelkbosstrand on the west coast. It is owned and operated by the country'sstate-owned electricitypublic utility,Eskom.
Koeberg contains twopressurised water reactors based on a design byFramatome of France. Framatome has a 51% shareholding in local South African company Lesedi Nuclear Services, which performs upgrade and maintenance projects at Koeberg.[1] Koeberg supplies power to thenational grid so that over-capacity can be redistributed to the rest of the country on an as-needed basis. Fuel stock used within the reactor is enricheduranium dioxide pellets containinggadolinium, contained in fuel rods.[2] Koeberg is rated at 1,860 MW, its average annual production is 13,668 GWh and it has two turbine generators.[3][4]
Each reactor delivers 970 MW (gross) and is capable of delivering 930 MW (net) to the grid.[5]
The power station was constructed nearCape Town to be the sole provider of power in theWestern Cape afterfossil-fuel power stations were deemed too small and too expensive to be viable. Nuclear power was considered because it was more economical than transporting coal to the existing fossil-fuel power stations, and construction of new fossil-fuel power-stations, which would have required 300 m tallchimneys to comply with clean-air legislation.[citation needed]Athlone Power Station in the city was too small to provide Cape Town's needs, and the Paarden Island power station (also too small) has been demolished.
Koeberg was one of the firstnuclear power stations designed to be resistant toearthquakes. The reactors at the Koeberg nuclear power station are built on an aseismic raft designed – on the basis of a mid-1970s hazard study - to withstand a magnitude 7 earthquake at a focal distance of about 10 km, 0.3g zero period ground acceleration (ZPGA). The largest recorded earthquake in the Cape Town area has been 6.5 magnitude at Jan Biesjes Kraal in 1809.[6][7][8]
The reactor at Koeberg is cooled by cold water from the Atlantic Ocean pumped through an isolated circuit at 80 tons a second.[9] Low and intermediate level waste from Koeberg is transported by road in steel and concrete containers to a rural disposal site atVaalputs, 600 km away in theKalahari Desert.
The power station was originally located outside the metropolitan area, but urban growth has exceeded expectations in the intervening years, so that the power station is now close to suburban housing. The administration enforces maximum housing density regulations in case of evacuation, which precludes the construction of high rise buildings. The buffer zone around the nuclear power station forms the 22 km2Koeberg Nature Reserve, open to the public and containing more than 210 species of birds and a number of mammal species including zebra, eland and springbok.[10]
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Construction of the power station began in 1976, and Unit 1 wassynchronized to the grid on 4 April 1984. Unit 2 followed on 25 July 1985.
On 8 January 1982,Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing of the ANC attacked Koeberg while it was still under construction.[11] Damage was estimated at R 500 million and the commissioning of the power station was put back by 18 months.[12] The bomber wasRodney Wilkinson, who had previously represented South Africa in international fencing tournaments.[13][14][15]
In August 2002 twelveGreenpeace activists obtained access to the station. Six of them scaled the wall to hang up an anti-nuclear protest banner. The twelve were arrested and fined.[16]
At the end of 2005, Koeberg started experiencing numerous technical difficulties. On 11 November 2005, a fault on a transmission busbar caused the reactor to go into safe mode, cutting supply to most of the Western Cape for about two hours. On 16 November a fire under a 400 kVtransmission line caused the line to trip, causing severe voltage dips which resulted in Koeberg once again shutting down. Parts of the Cape were left without electricity for hours at a time. On the evening of 23 November, a routine inspection of the backup safety system revealed a below-spec concentration of an important chemical, resulting in a controlled shutdown of the reactor. Due to the sufficiency of backup supply, major power cuts were not experienced until Friday 25 November, when the backup capacity began running out. At this point, rotationalload shedding was employed, with customers being switched off in stages for most of the day. Koeberg was re-synchronised to the national grid on Saturday 26 November.
On Sunday 25 December 2005, the generator of Unit 1 was damaged. While the generator was being powered up after scheduled refuelling and maintenance, a loose bolt, which was left inside the generator caused severe damage, forcing it to be shut down. Subsequent to the unexpected unavailability of Unit 1, Unit 2 was also brought down for scheduled refuelling, resulting in a severe shortage of supply to the Western Cape. This resulted in widespread load shedding in order to maintain the stability of the network. A replacement rotor for Unit 1 was shipped in from France and the unit was brought back into operation in May 2006.
On 18 and 19 February 2007 large parts of the Western Cape again experienced blackouts due to a controlled shutdown of Koeberg. According to Eskom and the City of Cape Town, power cuts were to continue until 26 February 2007, however power supply problems continued beyond this date.
The estimated economic losses due to the power cuts was over R 500 M as at February 2007, and was estimated to rise to possibly as high as R 2 billion.
On 12 September 2010, 91 members of staff were contaminated withcobalt-58 dust in an incident that appeared confined to the station.[17]
After the 2011Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, seismic safety at Koeberg was reevaluated in conjunction with theIAEA. Although Koeberg was designed for 0.3g zero period ground acceleration (ZPGA), a magnitude 7 earthquake, stress tests conducted in 2013 evaluated Koeberg against a 0.5g ZPGA.Overall Koeberg was found to be seismically robust and well designed, with some areas for attention and improvement that were highlighted.[18]
In 2019, theSouth African Government's Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) allowed for a 20-year extension for Koeberg, continuing operations through 2044, and included a delayed new nuclear build program, with a scenario that may involve building new capacity after 2030.[19]
On 10 September 2020, Eskom announced it will replace six steam generators.[20] The design, manufacture and install contract with Areva was for ZAR 4.4 billion ($240 million), with manufacture subcontracted to theShanghai Electric Power. Installation was delayed to 2023 and 2024 because of concerns about possible power shortages.[21] Koeberg 1's outage began on 10 December 2022 and it came back synchronised with the grid on 18 November 2023, taking much longer than the expected six months. Koeberg 2 will begin its outage once Koeberg 1's recommissioning tests are complete.[22]
In 2022, theDaily Maverick reported that Eskom's then Chief Nuclear Officer, Riedewaan Bakardien had left the utility, also noting an Eskom estimated loss of between 250 and 300 "skilled persons" in 2022, putting at risk the planned R20 billion life extension.[23]
In November 2025, theNational Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) granted Koeberg Unit 2 a license to continue operations for a further 20 years (up to 2045).[24]
Production figures are inTWh per year.
Source:[25]
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Duynefontein next door on the northern side of Koeberg is a proposed site for a new nuclear power station.[26]
South Africa's nuclear industry has seen opposition, chiefly from environmentalists concerned about safety issues such asradioactive waste, and anti-war activists concerned aboutnuclear proliferation and use of atomic weapons. Current campaigns against nuclear energy are being run byEarthlife Africa andKoeberg Alert.[27][28][29]
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