Pretoria - A unit at the Koeberg nuclear power plant is to be shut down this weekend after higher than normal levels of radioactivity in Unit 1's primary coolant circuit have been reported.
This was a result of one or more defective fuel rods in the reactor, Eskom said.
"Eskom has decided to shut down Unit 1 for a short duration outage in order to find and replace the defective fuel. The short duration outage will last approximately one month," said the parastatal.
Staff working at the plant as well as the public need not be alarmed as there is no safety risk arising from these higher than normal radioactivity levels.
The higher levels of radioactivity are in the primary coolant circuit of the reactor, inside the containment building. Water in the primary circuit is isolated from the environment by the primary circuit piping itself and by the containment building.
"Eskom policy is that we will not load fuel with known defects into the reactor. During each refueling outage, all fuel elements that are intended to be loaded into the reactor are examined and confirmed to be sound and in good condition," said Eskom.
In the summer months and particularly the holiday season, demand for electricity is lower compared to other months, making it the ideal time for the utility to schedule maintenance of its coal fired stations.
"Koeberg Unit 2 will be operating at full power during this period. Nevertheless, Eskom appeals to all consumers of electricity to do so prudently, and to conserve and not waste energy," it said.
Unit 1 at the plant near Cape Town will be shut down on Sunday.
