Unit two of the Koeberg nuclear power plant in the Western Cape will be shut down at the end of August for three months, allowing Eskom to carry out routine maintenance and refuelling.
When asked if this shutdown will have an impact on the power supply and result in more load shedding, Eskom stated: “As is the case with all Eskom units when they go for planned maintenance, we take measures that ensure that we compensate for the unit that is out for planned maintenance.”
The spokesperson added: “This is a shutdown for routine planned maintenance and it is scheduled to happen at the end of winter at the end of August. Each of Koeberg’s two units has to go for this maintenance every 15 [to] 18 months and during this outage, routine maintenance and refuelling is performed. Unit one has already undergone this planned maintenance (13 February to 4th June 2015).”
According to the Eskom website, “The station is vital for grid stability in the Cape.”
In recent weeks, Eskom has been implementing load shedding during peak evening hours due to the lack of capacity to meet demand needs.