Fin24 reports that Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says that he is "very, very worried" that the Koeberg refurbishment is behind schedule, which will result in higher stages of load shedding continuing into 2024.
At a briefing on the state of the electricity supply on Monday, he said: “I've asked for a more detailed report, and the more we get an indication of what the issues are, the more we are getting very, very, very worried. It is something that requires urgent attention.” Koeberg, SA's only nuclear power station, is undergoing an extension of life which involves the replacement of all the steam generators in both units. Ramokgopa said if the outages of the two units overlapped, it would be "a huge dent" in Eskom's generating capacity. The licence for Koeberg to continue operating expires in July 2024, after which it must close unless the plant has been successfully refurbished and relicensed. Ramokgopa, who two weeks ago announced that Eskom had turned a corner only for the utility only to be hit again by Stage 6 load shedding, said that he believed SA was now through the worst of winter. He added that he did not expect load shedding to reach Stage 7 or 8.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carol Paton at Fin24
- Lees ook, Koeberg-opknapping: Mantashe wys hulp van die hand, by Maroela Media
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