Final test is passed by first upgraded Koeberg unit

The full load rejection test of the renovated Unit 1 at Koeberg Power Station on Saturday, December 30, 2023, was successful, according to a statement from Eskom.

According to the utility, this was the last test required by the South African Grid Code (SAGC) to be carried out after the installation of the unit’s new steam generators.

The utility stated, “Eskom plans to undertake similar steam generator replacement activities on Unit 2 and the successful test completion serves as an encouragement.”

The purpose of the test was to “verify and demonstrate” the unit’s capability to supply its auxiliary load and resume steady state conditions after an abrupt break-in to the national grid.

“Significant modifications were implemented on various plant components, such as control systems, as part of the steam generator replacement project,” Eskom stated in its earlier test announcement.

Accordingly, it is necessary to test and validate the unit’s response to a full load rejection incident in accordance with SAGC.

Due to the replacement of its steam generator and long-term refueling, Koeberg Unit 1 was out of commission from December 2022 to early November 2023.

Roughly 980MW of generating capacity have been lost by the grid as a result of its failure.

The project team had anticipated a number of unforeseen and unexplained problems, which caused numerous delays, but the unit was originally scheduled to be back online by June 2023.

Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the minister of electricity, believes Eskom won’t experience the same problems when renovating Unit 2, which was shut down on December 11, 2023.

“We have learned from the mistakes and shortcomings relating to unit 1,” Ramokgopa told the team.

“We requested that they adhere to the dates for returning unit 2.”

Over the next few years, both units will, however, hardly ever operate simultaneously because, following Unit 2’s renovation, each will need to experience 200-day outages.