Eskom said concrete domes designed to prevent any release of radiation have undergone rigorous structural assessments.
Eskom has confirmed that all safety-critical systems at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station are fully functional and continuously improved in line with strict nuclear safety standards.
This follows recent reports suggesting that the parastatal is “flying blind” at the plant, which Eskom described as incorrect and unhelpful.
‘Misleading reports’
“Recent commentary suggesting that Eskom is ‘flying blind’ at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is inaccurate and misleading,” the utility said.
“Eskom confirms that all safety-critical systems are fully functional, carefully monitored, and continuously improved in line with strict nuclear safety standards.”
Radiation
Eskom said Koeberg’s containment buildings, the massive concrete domes designed to prevent any release of radiation in the event of an incident, have undergone rigorous structural assessments.
These included:
- Concrete core sampling and mechanical testing remain sound and well within safety margins.
- The results of the Integrated Leak Rate Test (ILRT) on Unit 1 further validate the structural integrity of the containment buildings.
- The results of various tests and data analyses confirm that both containment structures at Koeberg are fit for continued operation for at least the next 20 years.
- The existing containment monitoring instrumentation was fully refurbished and restored during the 2023 and 2024 maintenance cycles.
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Monitoring
Eskom said a modification to install new monitoring instruments to enhance monitoring of the containment building is planned for the medium to long term, aimed at continuous improvement and aligned with global best practices.
“The Integrated Leak Rate Test (ILRT) is a cornerstone of nuclear safety. It pressurises the containment to accident condition pressure to verify that the containment building is leak-tight and capable of containing radioactive releases in the unlikely event of an accident.
“The 10-year interval that Eskom has adopted is in line with the standard practice at most nuclear power plants in France,” Eskom said.
Eskom assured the public that the containment buildings of both Unit 1 and Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station are “safe and fully capable of performing their intended design function.”
Contractual disputes
In July, Eskom sought to clarify that two contractual disputes with Framatome, the contractor for the Steam Generator Replacement Project at the Koeberg nuclear power station, were being addressed through agreed resolution processes.
The two disputes stem from the Steam Generator Replacement Project of Unit 2 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, which has now seen significant progress, following problems that contributed to a bout of stage 3 load shedding in March.
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