Part 2 pf 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
    Of course, Eskom claims that their reactor are safe. However, Becker points out that one of the main safety mechanisms at Koeberg is a reliance on the national grid. “If the reactors need to be shut down for any reason, they no longer produce electricity. This means that to continue to operate the plant and to prevent the high-level waste stored at Koeberg from overheating and melting, electricity must be available to Koeberg from an external source.”
    Activists have been pleading for Koeberg to be shut down. Becker said that keeping Koeberg running is a serious risk. “With the current instability of the grid in South Africa, it is questionable whether it is worth taking the extra risk of keeping Koeberg running. We may think we are in a bad situation now, with the coronavirus outbreak, the economy and electricity shortages, but can you imagine if a nuclear incident at Koeberg – which required mass evacuation – was added to that?”

     De Gasparis has said that the latest problems at Koeberg are cause for serious concern because the plant will reach the end of its operating life in 2024. Eskom wants to keep it running until 2044. She said “While there have been upgrades to the plant, one has to question whether extending its life is the safest option for South Africans and an affordable option for the country’s energy needs.”
     The big question with respect to Koeberg is whether South Africans can really rely on the power utility to operate and safely maintain the Koeberg plant for an additional 20 years given Eskom’s appalling track record.
    De Gasparis says that “Safcei believes that the time has come for Eskom to move forward with decommissioning Koeberg, not extending its life. If we mean to adequately address climate change, Eskom should move to focus its attention to unlocking the potential of renewable energy and incorporating it more substantially.” Safcei submitted a statement to the Zondo Commission of Enquiry last year. It highlighted numerous allegations of poor decision-making and corruption against Eskom, which is compounding the suffering of South Africans.

    “The lack of ethical governance at the SOE in recent years must be addressed and citizens and businesses must start seeing culprits being brought to book. Citizens cannot continue to pay — through increased tariffs and ongoing, disruptive load shedding — for Eskom’s mistakes, while they run scot-free.” added de Gasparis in the submission.

     I have written before about secret negotiations of members of the SA government with Russia for a reactor construction deal. When the negotiations were revealed, it caused public outrage and turbulence in the government. The government official said that there were no deals being made with Russia and any tender for nuclear reactor construction would be handled properly and transparently.
     Since then, there has been a great deal of discussion about whether or not SA really needs to construct more nuclear reactors. It is questionable whether SA needs nuclear power in view of low energy demands and poor grid conditions. Nuclear power remains a major point of contention between anti-nuclear activist in SA and nuclear power promoting special interest groups such as Eskom.