- Koeberg Unit 2 safely shut down following turbine trip with no risk to public or environment.
- Eskom reports improved generation performance with EAF at 64.36% and diesel costs down 96.29% y o y.
- South Africa records 329 consecutive days without load shedding, signalling sustained grid stability.
Eskom has confirmed the safe shutdown of Koeberg Unit 2 following a turbine trip, with no risk posed to the public or the environment and no impact on grid stability. Investigations into the cause of the incident are currently underway.
Despite the shutdown, system performance indicators point to continued improvement across the generation fleet. For the financial year to date from 1 to 9 April 2026, the Energy Availability Factor stands at 64.36%, up from 54.14% during the same period last year and reflecting a 7.6% improvement compared to two years ago.
Related news: Koeberg’s R20 billion life extension programme fatally flawed
Unplanned outages between 3 and 9 April 2026 averaged 8 981MW, down from 13 930MW in the same period last year. This reduction of 4 949MW, exceeding the capacity of Kusile Power Station, highlights improved plant reliability. The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor declined to 18.75%, compared to 29.35% a year earlier.
Planned maintenance activity increased slightly, with the Planned Capacity Loss Factor averaging 16.28% versus 15.08% in the previous financial year. This aligns with efforts to improve environmental compliance and long-term system sustainability. A further 2 132MW remains in cold reserve due to excess capacity.
Diesel expenditure has declined sharply, reaching R49.81 million for the year to date, compared to R1.34 billion in the same period last year, a reduction of 96.29%. Eskom noted that diesel usage in the past week was limited to meeting reserve requirements in line with grid code provisions.
South Africa has now achieved 329 consecutive days without electricity supply interruptions since 16 May 2025, equivalent to approximately 98.9% availability. The utility plans to return 3 013MW of capacity to service ahead of the evening peak on 13 April 2026, with demand forecast at 23 910MW against available capacity of 26 460MW.
At Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2 has demonstrated strong operational performance in recent months. The unit recorded 365 consecutive days of uninterrupted operation as of 9 March 2026, following its return to service in December 2024 after a major refurbishment programme that included steam generator replacements.
During this period, the unit delivered approximately 946MW at an average EAF of 99.4%, reinforcing its role as a reliable contributor to the national grid. The unit is scheduled for its next planned maintenance outage on 26 April 2026.
The latest turbine trip follows a similar incident in March 2025, when Unit 2 was shut down due to a human error during maintenance activities on Unit 1. Read more
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
