Eskom has confirmed that Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 has returned to service following an unexpected shutdown triggered by an electrical disturbance during planned maintenance activities on Unit 2.
The power utility announced on Thursday that the necessary recovery activities had been completed and Unit 1 was stable and synchronised to the national electricity grid.
The incident occurred on 16 October during testing associated with the planned maintenance outage of Unit 2 at the Western Cape nuclear power station.
According to Eskom, an electrical disturbance exceeded the predefined tolerance limits of a protection system associated with Unit 1, causing the automatic opening of the unit’s 400 kV and 24 kV breakers.
Eskom explains what happened
An investigation found that a conservative protection relay setting contributed to the system’s response.
Eskom said the protection system operated as designed, safely shutting down Unit 1 and ensuring the continued safe operation of the plant.
The utility also stressed that there was no impact on nuclear safety.
“The successful return of Unit 1 reflects the coordinated efforts and commitment of the Koeberg teams responsible for the recovery and restoration activities,” Eskom said in a post on social media platform X.
Unit 2 remains in planned maintenance
While Unit 1 has returned to service, Unit 2 remains offline as part of its planned maintenance programme.
Eskom did not provide a return-to-service date for Unit 2 in its latest update.
Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is located near Cape Town and supplies electricity to South Africa’s national grid.
The latest development means Unit 1 has been restored following the electrical disturbance, while planned maintenance work on Unit 2 continues.
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