Nuclear activists remain ambivalent of Eskom delaying Koeberg Unit 1 return

ESKOM'S announcement regarding the delay in the return to service of Koeberg Unit 1 has raised significant interest as the power utility confirmed the discovery of defects in the steam generator tubes.

- BANELE GININDZA

This critical setback extends the unit's downtime by a month, but Eskom is insisting that the necessary repairs have been meticulously completed to adhere to the highest safety and quality standards.

In a detailed update on Monday, Eskom disclosed that during scheduled eddy current inspections—a nondestructive testing method used to identify potential failures—defects were detected in four tubes out of several thousand inspected across two of Koeberg’s newly installed steam generators.

Eskom’s head of generation, Bheki Nxumalo, assured the public that specialised international teams have collaborated with local experts to address these issues immediately. "Eskom immediately carried out an advanced automated process to address the four tube defects, supported by specialised international teams working alongside local experts," Nxumalo said in a statement.

Nuclear analyst Princess Mthombeni weighed in on the situation, highlighting that similar defects during life-extension work on reactors requiring tube plugging or replacements during extended outages had been observed in international contexts including France, the US, and South Korea.

"Steam generator tubes degrade over decades of operation under high temperature and pressure. Isolated wear or defects don’t signal systemic failure but rather the need for diligent maintenance, which is industry best practice," Mthombeni said.