Article: Eskom to shut down unit at Koeberg

[rpm]

You can view the page at http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/content.php/1727-Eskom-to-shut-down-unit-at-Koeberg

 

[rpm]

A unit at the Koeberg nuclear power plant is to be shut down this weekend after higher than normal levels of radioactivity in Unit 1's primary coolant circuit have been reported.

This was a result of one or more defective fuel rods in the reactor, Eskom said.

 

[D.B.Cooper]

In other news, Koeberg technicians were last seen piling into anything with wheels and and screaming out of the parking lot in a cloud of smoke and burnt rubber. Eskom refused further comment.

 

[FatBoySlim]

Ticking time bomb!!! Me is wondering if they are importing the skills to sort out this problem.

A unit at the Koeberg nuclear power plant is to be shut down this weekend after higher than normal levels of radioactivity in Unit 1's primary coolant circuit have been reported.

This was a result of one or more defective fuel rods in the reactor, Eskom said.

 

[theratman]

Ticking time bomb!!! Me is wondering if they are importing the skills to sort out this problem.

My friend works at koeberg.

60% of the people there are foreigners according to him.

 

[Alestorm]

Ticking time bomb!!! Me is wondering if they are importing the skills to sort out this problem.

Ironically this problem was caused by the fuel we bought from either the US or another first world country (which I can't remember) that was defective.

 

[zulgin]

In other news, little green babies have been born in Koeberg.

 

[zulgin]

ffs End nuclear tech in this nation please! we just don't have the skills and infrastructure. France has 20 times more phd's per capita than what we do, they produce more than 100 times more patents than we do. These people have the skill for the job, even so, nations like Germany and Japan can't even keep their programs safe and intact.

What's more than Koeburg and all the issues(equipment including nuclear weapons technology stolen, power outages, now this), we are planning to build another 6 plants which not only threatens our own and the worlds security, but wold cost another trillion Rand to build.

Invst in wind and other alternatives.

Well, we had the facilities to train the skilled people and we actually had the skilled people in the country, however when I last checked they closed down or wanted to close down Palendaba nuclear research faccility in SA.

 

[Palimino]

ffs End nuclear tech in this nation please! we just don't have the skills and infrastructure. France has 20 times more phd's per capita than what we do, they produce more than 100 times more patents than we do. These people have the skill for the job, even so, nations like Germany and Japan can't even keep their programs safe and intact.

What's more than Koeburg and all the issues(equipment including nuclear weapons technology stolen, power outages, now this), we are planning to build another 6 plants which not only threatens our own and the worlds security, but wold cost another trillion Rand to build.

Invst in wind and other alternatives.

+1000000

 

[genetic]

ffs End nuclear tech in this nation please! we just don't have the skills and infrastructure. France has 20 times more phd's per capita than what we do, they produce more than 100 times more patents than we do. These people have the skill for the job, even so, nations like Germany and Japan can't even keep their programs safe and intact.

What's more than Koeburg and all the issues(equipment including nuclear weapons technology stolen, power outages, now this), we are planning to build another 6 plants which not only threatens our own and the worlds security, but wold cost another trillion Rand to build.

Invst in wind and other alternatives.

Actually you're quite misinformed on our nuclear skillset. We do, however, need a lot more skills for the new nuclear program, but I think you're being melodramatic.

Interesting article (http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-12-10-countdown-to-nuclear-liftoff):

South Africa has a relatively small, specialised nuclear skills industry built around 26 years of experience in operating Koeberg and a decade in developing pebble bed reactor technology. It is also a world leader in the supply of radioisotope Molybdenum-99, used in medical procedures.

But with the scale of new nuclear projects envisaged in the next 20 years, highly skilled workers will mostly come from abroad in the early stages. The new nuclear build programme will require as many as 6 000 highly skilled workers in the initial phase, 100 000 more workers during construction and about 13 000 engineers, scientists, operators and support staff to operate the fleet once it is operational.

Moves are afoot to train and develop South Africa’s next generation of nuclear scientists. The South African Nuclear Human Assets and Research Programme is developing skills by supporting school students through to PhD candidates.

Meanwhile, Eskom is recruiting and training already, deploying people to Koeberg as part of a core team that can help staff the nuclear expansion programme when required.

South Africa also hopes to benefit from the localisation of nuclear component manufacturing and is considering a commercial uranium enrichment plant that would be operational by 2025.

South Africa and Namibia control more than half of the world’s total uranium reserves between them.

 

[dawbomb]

ffs End nuclear tech in this nation please! we just don't have the skills and infrastructure. France has 20 times more phd's per capita than what we do, they produce more than 100 times more patents than we do. These people have the skill for the job, even so, nations like Germany and Japan can't even keep their programs safe and intact.

Okay, why do we need PHD's to build power plants? Its engineers who design and build them, not physicists. South Africa does have most of the skills needed - and then there is no reason why the skills which we don't have here can't be imported.

What's more than Koeburg and all the issues(equipment including nuclear weapons technology stolen, power outages, now this), we are planning to build another 6 plants which not only threatens our own and the worlds security, but wold cost another trillion Rand to build.

Nuclear weapons technology being stolen from Keoeberg? Koeberg is a nuclear POWER STATION. That generates electricity. A controlled nuclear reaction continually boils water, turning it into steam, which turns a turbine, which turns a generator, which makes electricity. In a nuclear weapon, you have a huge nuclear reaction which takes place in a fraction of a second, using uranium which is far more enriched (weapons grade uranium) than what is used in power plants (fuel grade uranium). I don't see how any technology used in power stations could possibly be used in a weapon.

How is a power outage an issue? Most of the times that Koeberg has been shut down, the cause of the shutdown has had nothing to do with the nuclear reactor itself - e.g. a bolt damaging a turbine, busbar failures, transmission line problems.

Looking on the internet, I only found one instance of people at Koeberg being contaminated with radioactive material. Koeberg has a near-flawless safety record.

Nuclear is a safe technology as long as the proper precautions are taken.

Invst in wind and other alternatives.

You can use wind turbines for some of our power needs. But in South Africa, there just aren't enough locations with lots of wind to put enough wind turbines in to power the country. Oh, and wind turbines cost more per kWh than nuclear power stations.

 

[Boingy]

Wind turbines also have high accident rates associated with them. In one report the fatality rate per MWh of wind technology was put at 12 times that occurring at conventional power stations. Nothing is totally safe, just some are more dangerous.

 

[Alan]

Nuclear weapons technology being stolen from Keoeberg? Koeberg is a nuclear POWER STATION. That generates electricity. A controlled nuclear reaction continually boils water, turning it into steam, which turns a turbine, which turns a generator, which makes electricity. In a nuclear weapon, you have a huge nuclear reaction which takes place in a fraction of a second, using uranium which is far more enriched (weapons grade uranium) than what is used in power plants (fuel grade uranium). I don't see how any technology used in power stations could possibly be used in a weapon.

Stolen radioactive material can be used for making dirty bombs.

Also flying an airliner into a nuclear power plant is a recipe for disaster.