South Africa’s nuclear power station has been completely shut down

Eskom announced on Thursday that Koeberg Nuclear Power Station’s Unit 1 was, safely and within procedure, taken offline just before 01:00 following a turbine trip.

Chris Yelland, energy industry analyst and MD of EE Business Intelligence, said this meant Koeberg nuclear power station was now fully shut down.

“Unit 2 at Koeberg has been shut down for several months now, undergoing maintenance and testing,” he said. Koeberg only has two units.

“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 power utility said.

Eskom said all Koeberg plant monitoring confirmed that operating conditions remained stable throughout the shutdown event.

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

“Koeberg’s protection and monitoring systems functioned as designed, ensuring the unit always remained safe.”

Eskom said the removal of Unit 1’s capacity from the grid poses no risk to the national electricity supply, as there was sufficient generation capacity available and the grid remained stable and secure.

“Koeberg’s Unit 1 was last taken offline for major maintenance, completed in October 2025,” said Eskom.

“Since then, the unit has operated reliably, with generation temporarily reduced in August 2026 as a precautionary measure.”

This was due to seawater intake challenges linked to a sardine influx near the station’s cooling water system, said Eskom.

“During the same period, increased sardine mortality was reported along the Southwestern and West Coast,” it continued.

“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 was currently no evidence linking these incidents to Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant’s operations.