According to South African news media reports, due to the leak, Eskom has taken the Koeberg nuclear power plant's Unit 1 off the assembly line and has accelerated planned routine maintenance. The unit will be resumed in May 2021. Eskom stated that the leakage rate of one of the three steam generators of Unit 1 is increasing. Although the leakage rate is within a safe range, the unit will be taken offline for maintenance. Eskom guarantees that this decision will not pose a risk to the factory, personnel or the environment.
According to the Eskom website, Koeberg is the only nuclear power plant in Africa designed with a pressurized water reactor (PWR). It has the largest turbine generator in the southern hemisphere and the southernmost nuclear power plant in the world with an installed capacity of 1,940 MW. In the past three years, its average availability was 79.7%, while the average output during the same period was 12,715 kWh. Eskom said that the nuclear power plant has been operating safely and effectively for more than 28 years, still has a service life, and can continue to be used for a longer period of time.
