Description

Construction of Koeberg began in 1976 and Unit 1 was synchronised to the grid on 4 April 1984, with Unit 2 following suit on 25 July 1985. It is situated at Duynefontein, 27km north of Cape Town on the Atlantic coast. Koeberg, the only nuclear power station in Africa, has a pressurised water reactor (PWR) design. It boasts the largest turbine generators in the Southern Hemisphere and is the most southerly-situated nuclear power station in the world.

The power station is surrounded by a 3 000 ha nature reserve owned by Eskom, containing more than 150 different species of birds and half a dozen small mammal species.

Low and intermediate level waste from Koeberg is transported by road in steel and concrete containers to a remote disposal site at Vaalputs, 600km away in the Kalahari Desert. The spent fuel, is stored on site in special pools quipped with high-density racking.

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