Eskom has confirmed that it is likely to apply for a licence to operate the Koeberg nuclear power station, in the Western Cape, beyond the 20-year envelope that it has secured for Unit 1 and is optimistic of also securing for Unit 2. In a response to a question posed about the long-term future of the power station, chief nuclear officer Keith Featherstone told the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy that it would make sense to seek a further extension to the two licences if the assets remained in a condition to continue operating for longer.
South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) expects to finalise nuclear-procurement consultations in the coming two to three months before approaching the regulator for its concurrence with a new Ministerial determination for the procurement of 2 500 MW of new nuclear capacity. Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa withdrew the Section 34 Ministerial determination he Gazetted in January ahead of a court hearing into whether the correct procedures had been followed prior to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) concurrence with the determination.
The recovery of South Africa’s two biggest State-owned companies — beset by years of corruption and theft — relies on one common component: protecting thousands of miles of cables from theft and rolling out more. Both freight-rail operator Transnet and power utility Eskom battle to hang onto lines that typically contain copper and which criminals steal and sell as scrap.