The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has given Eskom the green light to operate Unit 1 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for another 20 years.

The regulator announced this decision yesterday. Unit 1’s 40-year license will expire on 21 July. It’s now officially extended until 21 July 2044.

Eskom has welcomed the decision, saying Koeberg Unit 1 will join approximately 120 reactors worldwide that have safely continued operations beyond their initial 40-year life.

“Together with our business partners, we are proud of the achievement that ensures that Africa’s first and only nuclear power plant can now continue to operate safely into the future,” said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom Group Executive for Generation.

“The granting of the licence is a testament to the hard work and continued commitment of our teams to nuclear safety and Eskom’s generation recovery plan,” said Keith Featherstone, Eskom Chief Nuclear Officer.

Eskom says as the Koeberg licence will be changed to reflect an end date of 21 July 2044 for Unit 1, Eskom will continue to operate Unit 1 until January 2025, when the unit will be shut down for its next scheduled refuelling and maintenance outage.

The current licence for Koeberg Unit 2 only expires on 9 November 2025, and the National Nuclear Regulator has said it deliberate on the licence extension for Unit 2 at a later date.

Unit 2 is currently undergoing refurbishments, and is expected to be back online in September this year.

The Minister of Energy and Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has also welcomed the  announcement made by the National Nuclear Regulator on the extension of the operating life of Unit 1.

“The extension of the operating life of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station Unit 1 will not only ensure the continued supply of electricity to meet the growing demand, but also contribute to our efforts in transitioning towards a cleaner, more affordable and sustainable energy future.”

However, not everyone is happy. Environmental groups are have expressed their disappointment in the NNR’s decision.

The executive director at SAFCEI Francesca de Gasparis suggested that the NNR did not take into account all public comments in its decision:

“From our perspective, as an environmental watchdog – we believe that this decision was based on inadequate information and coupled with inadequate time for proper, meaningful public consultation, in terms of the quality and sheer load of information that was provided. We will be looking at this matter further.”

The energy expert, Prof Harmut Winkler, says essentially the regulator had very little choice but to extend the lifespan of Unit 1, and essentially ”had a gun to their heads”, because the lapsing of Unit 1’s licence would have likely resulted in a stage of loadshedding being introduced.

Each Unit delivers 970 MW (gross) and is capable of delivering 930 MW (net) to the grid, which comes down to 1 stage of loadshedding.

Nuclear sceptic and spokesperson for the Koeberg Alert Alliance, Peter Becker, says the NNR’s decision means a further burden on tax-payers for the forseeable future. He says with the proliferation of solar and other energy sources, nuclear should no longer be a priority.

Recent reports indicate over 5,000 MW of solar was added in the country in just a few months.

Despite this, the government is reportedly pushing ahead to add more nuclear power to the grid.

Ramakgopa, speaking on the sidelines of the Cabinet Lekgotla held in Tshwane at the weekend, said South Africa will seek to build another nuclear plant for electricity generation at “a scale and speed that we can afford”.