A team of international nuclear professionals completed their inspection of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station last week to explore the viability of extending its life for a further 20 years.
The inspection was part of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) peer review mission of the Safety Aspects of the Long-Term Operation (Salto) of Koeberg that took place at the power station from March 22 to 31.
The IAEA team from eight countries reviewed the safety aspects of Koeberg’s Long-Term Operation (LTO), including preparedness, organisation and programmes for safe operation. The ten-person team, which comprised nuclear experts from Argentina, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Pakistan, Spain, Sweden and two IAEA staff members, said they were impressed by the professionalism of Koeberg’s staff.
“We observed that despite many challenges the plant has made progress in ageing management activities and preparation for safe LTO since the first Pre-Salto mission in 2015. The Salto team encourages Eskom and the plant management to address findings made by the Salto team and to implement all remaining activities for safe LTO,” team leader Gabor Petofi, a senior nuclear safety officer at the IAEA, said
“We observed that staff at the plant are professional, open, and receptive to suggestions for improvement. Despite challenges, the plant has eliminated several deviations in ageing management activities and preparation for safe LTO since the Pre-Salto mission in 2019. The Salto team encourages Eskom and the plant management to address findings made by the Salto team and to implement all remaining activities for safe LT.”
Koeberg is not the first power station to embark on a journey for long-term operation. The IAEA mission to Koeberg was the association’s 50th Peer Review Mission.
The IAEA team said it had identified good practices and learning points at Koeberg that would be shared with the nuclear industry globally. This included its interactive corrective action programme to consider operating experience for long-term operation, and its template to collect vital parameters from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to establish the extended qualified life of electrical components.
The team also provided recommendations and suggestions to further enhance the preparations for LTO safety, including that Eskom should:
• Comprehensively review and implement all plant programmes relevant for long-term operation.
• Complete the revalidation of qualification of cables in the containment for the long-term operation period.
• Ensure full functionality of the containment structure monitoring system.
Eskom said that to execute the LTO safely, it had performed benchmarking exercises with other utilities around the world and asked for the assistance of international nuclear safety review bodies, among others the World Association of Nuclear Operators (Wano), the Institute for Nuclear Plant Operators (INPO), and the IAEA.
The IAEA offers a service to its members specifically for long-term operation and looks at the safety aspects of long-term operation, which entails detailed reviews of ageing management of mechanical, electrical, and civil systems, structures and components, knowledge management, as well as human resources. The final mission report will be submitted to the plant management, the National Nuclear Regulator, and the government.
Koeberg management said it was committed to implementing the recommendations and that it had asked the IAEA to schedule a follow-up mission to Koeberg during 2024.
“The IAEA has previously completed two Pre-Salto missions, which prepared the station for the work needed to safely extend Koeberg’s operating life. What was particularly pleasing to note in this 2022 review is the feedback from the IAEA that Koeberg has made significant improvements and has closed the gaps identified during the Pre-Salto Missions,” said Riedewaan Bakardien, Eskom’s chief nuclear officer.
“We note there are some recommendations and suggestions for further work to be done, and we are treating all of them as urgent to assure that Koeberg will be successful on this journey to extend the plant life by 20 years.”
Department of Minerals and Energy Chief Director: Nuclear Safety and Technology, Katse Maphoto, said Koeberg LTO was important from a national energy security and grid balance point of view.
