Civilian S. African Nuclear Plant Shut by Flaws in Piping
The only South African commercial nuclear power station, a French-built plant that began operating last year, has been indefinitely shut down because of flawed piping, the operators said Friday.
The state-run Electricity Supply Commission said it found that a variety of water-carrying stainless steel pipes, some linked to the reactor systems, contained iron impurities that could corrode over time.
The commission’s manager, I.D. van der Walt, said there is no danger involved in the shutdown of the $1.25-billion Koeberg plant, north of Cape Town.
A spokesman added: “In the short term, it’s not serious because we could probably run for years with these faults and nothing would happen.” He said a flaw had been seen on the surface of one pipe and tests indicated there were faults inside the pipes.
The plant, built by Framatome of France from a Westinghouse design, could remain closed for several months, commission sources said.
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