South Africa’s nuclear power station shut down

Eskom has safely taken Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 offline, the utility announced on Thursday.

This means the entire station is offline, with the second unit being shut down for several months for maintenance, repairs, and testing. 

“Eskom confirms that Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 was safely and within procedure taken offline just before 1 am today following a turbine trip,” the utility said in a statement. 

“All plant monitoring confirmed that operating conditions remained stable throughout the event.

Nuclear safety was never compromised, and there was no risk to employees, the public, or the environment.”

Eskom said that Koeberg’s protection and monitoring systems functioned as designed, ensuring the unit remained safe at all times.

It made clear that the removal of Unit 1’s capacity from the grid poses no risk to the national electricity supply.

EE Business Intelligence MD and energy expert Chris Yelland said Eskom has enough reserve generation capacity to absorb the impact of Koeberg’s shutdown. 

Koeberg’s Unit 1 was last taken offline for major maintenance, completed in October 2025. Since then, the unit has operated reliably.

Generation was temporarily reduced in August 2026 as a precautionary measure due to seawater intake challenges linked to a sardine influx near the station’s cooling water system. 

Eskom said that during the same period, increased sardine mortality was reported along the Southwestern and West Coast. 

The matter remains the subject of an ongoing inter- agency investigation led by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE).

Eskom said there is currently no evidence linking these incidents to Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s operations.

The cause of the turbine trip is currently under investigation.

“Eskom remains committed to transparency and will provide updates as new information becomes available,” the utility said.