By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
A full load rejection test is being performed on Koeberg’s Unit 1 on Saturday – the final test that must be performed after the installation of its new steam generators, Eskom said.
This comes after Unit 1 was successfully synchronised to the grid in November after being out of commission for almost a year.
Unit 2 is set to be taken offline once Unit 1 is stable. Each Unit is meant to supply 920MW to the grid.
Eskom’s acting spokesperson Aubrey Sambo says the rejection test is the final test that needs to be performed following the installation of the new steam generators.
“The purpose of the full load rejection test is to verify and demonstrate the ability of the unit to supply its auxiliary load and return to steady state conditions following a sudden disconnection from the national grid.
“The South African Grid Code (SAGC) requires that units be tested if modifications are made that could impact their capability to meet the SAGC requirements.
“As part of the steam generator replacement project, significant changes (modifications) were made to numerous plant components, including control systems. Therefore, in line with SAGC, the response of the unit to a full load rejection incident needs to be tested and verified.”
He adds that, should the testing fail and result in a unit trip, teams of technicians will be ready to work safely into returning the unit back to service.
“Prior to and in preparation of the full load rejection test, various commissioning tests were performed successfully. As a result, Eskom is confident that this test will be a success.
“However, in the unlikely event of the test failing and resulting in a unit trip, the Koeberg team is ready to respond and will work towards safely returning the unit back to service as soon as possible.”
Eskom meanwhile says that load shedding will be suspended for one more week, announcing that outages will continue to be put on hold until next Friday (5 January 2024).
The group said that this is possible thanks to improved generation performance, lower demand for the holiday period as well as sufficient emergency reserves.
While load shedding is suspended for now, analysts have warned that the situation may change once the holiday periods comes to an end.
The latest performance data from power utility Eskoms shows that the group is maintaining its low levels of breakdowns and keeping the lights on, but increased use of its open-cycle gas turbines means that South Africans could be in for trouble in early 2024.