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AfrElec NUCLEAR AfrElec
Eskom begins installing new
generators at Koeberg
SOUTH AFRICA ESKOM’S $1.2bn upgrade of its Koeberg nuclear with Areva – now Orano – to design, manu-
power plant (NPP) is now making meaningful facture and install the replacement steam gen-
progress with the arrival of the first of six replace- erators, which are being made in China under
ment steam generators at the site. subcontract by Shanghai Electric Power Equip-
The replacement of the six turbines aims to ment Co.
extend the operating life of the two site’s reactors The twin pressurised water reactors at Koe-
by 20 years. berg were built by Framatome, with unit 1 begin-
The state company said it plans to install the ning commercial operation in 1984 and unit 2
first three steam generators, which weigh about the following year.
380 tonnes each and are about 20 metres long, at The replacement of Koeberg 2’s steam gener-
Unit 1 between February and June 2021, Eskom ators is planned to take place during the unit’s
said. scheduled maintenance and refuelling outage
They will be housed in a specially built facility between January and May 2022.
on the Koeberg site until the old steam genera- South African Mineral Resources and Energy
tors are removed from the plant during the unit’s Minister Gwede Mantashe told the IAEA Gen-
next outage, World Nuclear News reported. eral Conference earlier this month that nuclear
The current steam generators have been in power would continue to play a pivotal role in
use since the plant began operations in 1984. South Africa’s energy mix.
On removal from the plant, the old steam gen- In addition to the work to extend Koeberg’s
erators will be stored on-site, where they will be operational period, the country has begun
packaged and dismantled for final disposal at the consultations with reactor suppliers to provide
national nuclear waste repository. costing and schedule information, and possible
The repository is the responsibility of the ownership models, for 2,500 MW of new capac-
National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute. ity through a Request for Information (RFI) that
In 2014, Eskom signed a ZAR4.3bn ($248mn) was issued in June.
CLIMATE CHANGE
AfDB to fund climate management in Niger
NIGER THE African Development Bank (AfDB) is drought-related food crises and development of
to give Niger in $5.6mn in funding in order to contingency plans.
manage climate shocks, renewable energy and It will also transfer sovereign risk through the
resilience to drought. subscription of insurance against drought risks
The financing comes from the African Devel- with the pan-African risk management mutual,
opment Fund ADF-15 as technical and institu- African Risk Capacity.
tional support to strengthen Niger’s resilience AfDB director-general for West Africa, Marie
and response to drought-related disasters. Laure Akin Olugbade, said: “This funding comes
The project, which totals $8mn, will be co-fi- at the right time because Niger is now suffering
nanced by the Bank’s group concessional rate the full force of the impacts of climate change,
loan window and the Pan-African mutual man- which each time harms household income, the
aged fund, as well as a risk contribution in kind performance of the agricultural sector, economic
of $1mn and a Nigerien government contribu- growth and the macroeconomic balance of the
tion of $1.4mn. country, in particular the state budget and the
The funding will allow Niger to implement balance of payments.”
its Africa Disaster Risk Management Funding Through the ADRiFi programme, AfDB
Programme (ADRiFi). is helping the Niger state preserve its budget
The ADRiFi in Niger aims to strengthen the against potential drought shocks as the country
country’s resilience and response to climate tries to revive its economy.
shocks by improving its disaster risk manage- The programme will be implemented from
ment and adaptation to climate change. 2020 to 2023 in Niger, in line with its national
Thus it will provide technical and financial food and nutrition security and sustainable
support to the Nigerien government. This will agricultural development strategy initiative
happen through capacity building in terms Nigeriens Nourishing Nigeriens (I3N) which is
of drought risk assessment, prevention of about securing zero hunger in Niger.
Week 39 01•October•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P9
