Koeberg expansion plans continue despite radioactive contamination
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and Eskom officials are adamant that Koeberg Nuclear Power Station remains safe despite three radioactive contamination incidents.
At a briefing on Sunday, Eskom Chief Nuclear Officer Velaphi Ntuli explained the safety measures in place during the outage and inspection process.
Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has reported three radioactive contamination-related incidents in recent weeks.
Ntuli said Koeberg continues to operate according to international nuclear safety standards, adding that the plant’s containment systems are designed to prevent uncontrolled releases into the environment.
He explained that during normal operations, the containment building remains sealed, and access is only granted under strict approval.
During outages, however, containment is opened to allow maintenance work, with nuclear fuel first safely removed and transferred to the fuel building.
Ntuli said the containment structure is designed to remain under negative pressure to prevent the release of radioactive material.
"During outages, as we indicated, there is no fuel in containment and therefore there is no potential for a nuclear accident and we cannot release an active iodine to the public, which will require us to issue potassium iodide tablets."
He added that no potassium iodide tablets were issued during the recent incidents and that workers are monitored through several radiation detection systems when leaving the site.
The recent events occurred during steam generator eddy current testing, a process used to check the condition and thickness of tubes in the newly installed steam generators following Koeberg’s life extension programme.
"We know, and it's common in the industry, that when you do this activity, it will generate localized radioactivity. So we plan for it, and I will show you what type of steps do we take to plan for it."
He said Eskom uses engineering safeguards, including placing tents around the inspection area and installing portable ventilation units to filter the air.
"We put tents around the steam generator that we are going to do eddy current testing in, and we also put what we call PVU, which is a portable ventilation unit that continuously clean up the air in that tented environment. And all of this is happening inside containment."
Ntuli said additional radiation monitors, protective clothing, worker dose limits and evacuation procedures form part of the safety protocols followed during inspections with affected employees undergoing additional monitoring, including whole-body counts, to assess possible exposure.
Eskom said investigations into the incidents are continuing, while reaffirming that Koeberg remains safe and that all activities are being conducted within strict nuclear safety requirements.
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