Koeberg’s units 1 and 2 have undergone life extension exercises.
Eskom says unit 1 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has begun its start-up sequence, and once it goes online, it will add another 930MW to the national grid, bolstering the country’s electricity supply.
Koeberg’s units 1 and 2 have undergone life extension exercises.
In July last year, the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) granted Eskom a licence to continue operating Koeberg Nuclear Power Station unit 1 until 21 July 2044.
Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said Koeberg’s unit 1 has completed its refuelling process.
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“After successfully completing the refuelling process, Unit 1 at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station has begun its start-up sequence and is currently undergoing hot commissioning — an essential stage in preparing the unit for full operation.
“Once back online, it will deliver 930MW to the national grid, bolstering the country’s electricity supply,” Mokwena said.
Load shedding
Mokwena highlighted that the ongoing technical improvements under Eskom’s Generation Recovery Plan have ensured that electricity demand is met for over 97% of the time in the current financial year.
“The country has gone 133 consecutive days without load shedding, with only 26 hours recorded between 1 April and 25 September 2025.”
Load reduction
However, Mokwena said that although Eskom’s power system has become more stable and reliable, load reduction remains necessary in certain high-risk areas, with average reductions ranging from 529MW to 544MW from April to June 2025.
“The primary causes are illegal connections and meter tampering, forms of electricity theft that compromise the integrity of the network and can lead to equipment damage, transformer overloads, and, in severe cases, explosions and prolonged outages.
“To safeguard the network and protect public safety, Eskom may implement load reduction by switching off power in these areas during peak periods. Eskom, however, is committed to eliminating load reduction within the next 12 to 18 months,” Mokwena said.
Diesel usage
Mokwena said to further strengthen grid stability, Eskom is planning to return a total of 2 500MW of generation capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 29 September 2025, and throughout the coming week.
She said the spending on diesel for the Open Cycle Gas Turbines (OGCT) has remained under control.
“From 1 April to 25 September 2025, Eskom generated 1 004.68GWh from OCGT plants while spending R5.953 billion on diesel – above last year’s 850.52GWh.
“Last week, diesel spending was just R15.03 million at a load factor of 0.41%, highlighting the impact of improvements in efficiency and reduced reliance on diesel,” Mokwena said.
Summer
Eskom published the Summer Outlook on 5 September 2025, covering the period from 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026, which forecasts no load shedding due to the structural progress in plant performance resulting from the ongoing implementation of the Generation Recovery Plan.
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