Supporting South Africa’s nuclear operator to secure a carbon-neutral energy supply

Tractebel recently signed a contract with Eskom that includes our company in a panel of suppliers for the Koeberg nuclear power plant (NPP) in South Africa for the next three years. Our engineers have been providing operational support to the operator since 2014. The new contract paves the way for continuous and long-term collaboration and shows how our expertise is recognized in the country.

Two projects already awarded

In the framework of this new contract, Tractebel has already been awarded two of the five tasks that have been identified so far. Our international engineers will review and update the secondary heat balance validation tool and the plant thermodynamic model. Jointly with sub-contractor Curtiss-Wright, they will update and integrate into the model the latest plant modifications, e.g. the replacement of the steam generators. Our local engineers will also carry out studies to contribute to updating the regulatory documents for the long-term operation project for Eskom. They will integrate the modifications into documents for the Eskom engineering team.

Long-term collaboration

Tractebel’s collaboration with Eskom dates back to 2014 when our engineers were tasked to define the specifications for the replacement of the steam generators on both units. Since 2015, they have provided Owner’s Engineering support services for this project. Our experts also carried out the quality inspection during the manufacturing of the reactor pressure vessel head that was installed in 2022.

Tractebel's South African team

South Africa’s nuclear policy

Tractebel’s support for Eskom is essential given the current energy context in South Africa. Nuclear energy accounts for around 6% of the total electricity production in South Africa. To move away from fossil fuels, nuclear power is considered one of the options to decarbonize while securing the electricity supply. The South African government has decided to extend the lifetime of the Koeberg NPP by 20 years and is considering building 2.5 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2030.

“We are looking forward to continuing our support of Eskom with our international experts and with our local team. We have been working closely with the operator for over eight years. Since 2019, we have been awarded most of the contracts that we applied for, which demonstrates that the operator is satisfied by the work that we have carried out. The nuclear know-how of our engineers is highly appreciated and we are proud to contribute to South Africa’s security of energy supply and greenhouse gas reduction objectives.”

- Tanguy Germeau, Managing Director, Tractebel South Africa

Find out more about our nuclear expertise HERE.