Country, which is also planning for new reactors, has faced crippling power shortages in recent years
South Africa’s nuclear regulator has given state-owned Eskom permission to operate one of two units at the only nuclear station on the continent for another 20 years as electricity supply in the country remains fragile.
The National Nuclear Regulator granted an operating licence to the utility for it to operate Unit 1 at the Koeberg nuclear station near Cape Town until July 2044.
NNR chief executive officer Ditebogo Kgomo said in a press briefing on 15 July that the regulator had deferred its decision on Unit 2.
The 40-year operating licence for Koeberg-1 was due to expire this month, but in 2021 Eskom applied for a 20-year extension to operations as part of efforts to end crippling power shortages.
The regulator is still assessing Eskom’s application to extend the life of Koeberg-2 by 20 years. That unit’s existing licence is valid until November 2025.
Eskom’s mostly coal-fired plants, which generate approximately 85% of the nation’s electricity, have been prone to breakdowns, resulting in power cuts in recent years.
Koeberg-1 began commercial operation in 1984 and Koeberg-2 in 1985. Both are pressurised water reactor units and according to Eskom have a combined capacity of 1,860 MW.
Koeberg is South Africa’s only commercial nuclear power station and the only such facility in Africa, although Russia is building a new nuclear station in Egypt.
Nuclear energy provided about 5% of South Africa’s electricity generation in 2022, according to International Atomic Energy Agency data.
South Africa’s electricity minister announced in December 2023 that Pretoria would begin a procurement process for an additional 2,500 MW of nuclear power capacity to tackle blackouts that have crippled the nation.
