Necsa welcomes regulatory approval for extending the life of Koeberg’s first nuclear reactor

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has welcomed the decision by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) to authorise the extension of the operational life of the first reactor (known as Unit 1) at the Koeberg nuclear power plant (NPP) by 20 years. Such an extension in a reactor’s life is known, globally, as Long Term Operation (LTO). Koeberg is owned and operated by national State-owned electricity utility Eskom. Necsa is a separate State-owned company, which owns and operates the SAFARI-1 nuclear research reactor, at Pelindaba, west of Pretoria.