Koeberg Nuclear Power Station is 40 years old. The National Nuclear Regulator approved a 20-year life extension for Unit 1 of the nuclear power plant earlier this year. Photographer: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
The Koeberg Alert Alliance and the Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute have raised concerns about Eskom’s preparedness to deal with a nuclear emergency at the Koeberg Nuclear Station, warning that nearby residents could be exposed to radiation.
The organisations say Eskom and the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) conducted a drill two years ago, which failed to adequately address all their nuclear related concerns.
Last month, MPs in the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy, demanded nothing short of a 100% compliance from the NNR, which scored 92.85%.
Committee members highlighted that while the NNR achieved a good performance score, there was an expectation for 100% compliance, given the potential risks associated with nuclear energy.
On Tuesday, the NNR is set to conduct an emergency drill exercise at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.
This drill will determine whether the station has adequate emergency planning and whether Eskom can effectively respond to nuclear accidents and radiological emergencies.
According to KAA, previous drills have resulted in numerous non-compliances. According to Koeberg’s licence conditions, the nuclear power station is non-compliant.
The NNR recently granted unit 1 a twenty-year extension beyond its design lifetime, but only on the condition of a successful emergency drill.
“Safety at Koeberg remains one of our biggest concerns,” the SAFCEI Director, Francesca de Gasparis said.
“There were 14 non-compliance issues at the last emergency drill SAFCEI attended in 2022, showing that aspects of the emergency response could potentially have dire consequences if we don't have all the services working well and prepared if something went wrong,” she added.
De Gasparis has emphasised that the communities living near the station need to be educated and informed.
“The NNR needs to share publicly the results from this drill and what will be done to ensure safety for everyone who could be affected.
“Although Eskom insists the predominant wind direction would blow radiation towards the ocean in the event of an accident, differing wind conditions could result in radiation being blown across the peninsula in a matter of hours, impacting most of the city,” De Gasparis said.
Lydia Petersen, the KAA spokesperson said that the main problem is that the NRR is very lenient when it defines what is a ‘successful’ drill or exercise.
“The NNR gave Eskom six months to address some issues pointed out during the 2022 drill but after a year these had still not been addressed,” she said.
Petersen noted that some of the issues that Eskom has failed to address include not having access to the correct equipment to wash radioactive material off people who had been contaminated with radioactive dust and to contain the resultant radioactive wastewater.
“In the 2022 drill ‘contaminated water’ was allowed to simply run into the stormwater drains, and from there into the rivers and eventually the sea,” she added.
“In this regard, the NNR has failed in its mandate to ensure safety as per its principles. Their core principle is to ensure the health and safety of the people and the environment. They failed when they issued a statement saying the 2022 safety drill was adequate in response to an emergency.”
Petersen said that Eskom has been given months to address and remedy these non-compliances but it has not been definitively proven that these actions took place.
“The NNR seems to have the attitude that says ‘don't worry, maybe Eskom will get it right the next time’,” Petersen explained.
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