Extension of Koeberg lifespan has significant benefits - expert
Energy expert Ruse Moleshe said on Tuesday that the decision to extend the lifespan of the Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Town is not unusual.
The National Nuclear Regulator confirmed that Eskom’s operating licence for unit 1 of Koeberg had been extended for another 20 years.
The licence will now be valid until July 2044.
Unit 1 provides 930MW to the national grid.
The Cape Town-based nuclear plant is the only nuclear power station in Africa and has been operational since 1984.
Moleshe said the decision to extend the unit’s lifespan comes with significant benefits.
"The benefits for South Africa are a reliable supply of electricity as well as decarbonisation because we do not have cleaner gas emissions when it comes to nuclear plants.
“Koeberg is one of the plants with the lowest cost in terms of operation amongst the number of plants that Eskom owns currently.
He added: “We have limited options that are environmentally friendly. We obviously have a dominance of coal power plants, which consists of almost 80% of Eskom's power plants, so building a coal power plant today will probably not be feasible.”
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