Safety concerns over the Koeborg nuclear plant as earthquakes intensify in Cape Town

By IOL Reporter 15 hours ago

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CAPE TOWN – Safety concerns are mounting over the Quebec Nuclear Power Plant after a third earthquake struck Cape Town in less than two months early Tuesday.

According to the Institute for the Environment of Communities of Faith in South Africa (Safcei) and the Koeberg Alert Alliance, the increase in seismic activity on the Milnerton Fault Line should be a major cause for concern about the risks to the nuclear plant, especially since news that Eskom has plans to extend the life of the plant Another 20 years after its original age.

The third earthquake struck with increasing intensity on Tuesday, with a magnitude of 3.5 compared to the earthquakes of 2.3 and 2.5 magnitude at the end of September.

Peter Baker of the Koeberg Alert Alliance said in a statement: “Last month, we raised our concerns when the first two earthquakes were cleared by Eskom as being nothing to worry about.

I felt a #earthquake (#aardbewing) hit M3.5 76 km northwest Cape Town (South Africa) 16 minutes ago. Please report to: https://t.co/50yLsUoGVr pic.twitter.com/0q3MsXjGg1

– EMSC (LastQuake) November 16, 2020

“But now, with a third, more severe earthquake, South Africa needs to realize the risks associated with an aging nuclear plant so close to a rift zone and densely populated areas.”

Koeberg contributes so little to the electricity generated in South Africa that it’s not worth the risk of keeping it running, the organizations say, with the belief that keeping it operating for 20 years beyond its specified life will be playing Russian Roulette.

Baker says the Earth Science Council issued a tender in October to study earthquake hazards at the Koeberg site.

#EskomMediaStatement #

The Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant continues to operate safely after seismic activity pic.twitter.com/cimrIeUCLv

– Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (Eskom_SA) November 17, 2020

“It seems we’re not alone in our concerns about how safe Koeberg is from earthquakes,” says Baker. “It’s clear that the Earth Science Council is also seeing a need for more research into this danger.”

The Koeberg was built in the late 1970s with a design age of 40 years. Work began in 1984 and is slated to close in July 2024.

It was the first nuclear plant to be built with earthquake protection in the foundations in the form of a concrete “raft” resting on neoprene rubber pads. Later designs include horizontal failover safety stores, but this was not done at Koeberg.

“This means that if the rubber pads do not work as expected, or if an unexpectedly strong earthquake occurs, it may crack the foundation. One question Eskom plans to extend the life of the Koeberg is whether the neoprene pads will last for another 20 years in a marine environment?

The Koeberg Alert Alliance was denied access to a 2017 study, which assessed seismic hazards at the Koeberg site, by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR).

“If this study is reassuring, why did the regulator and Eskom choose to keep it secret? We were also not allowed to monitor the Koeberg emergency preparedness exercise last month, which tests the effectiveness of the contingency plan,” Baker says.

There is a disturbing trend, by Eskom and the organizer, to hide information from the public

We know that an unexpected earthquake can cause a nuclear reactor to collapse. Why must captonians live with fear of this happening?

Sfsi’s CEO, Francesca de Gasparis, said: “ The big questions for people who live near the plant should be, can we trust Eskom to put people first in decision-making about Koeberg?

“Did Eskom think about what would happen if we hit a massive earthquake on this existing seismic fault, so close to our only nuclear power plant?”

We know from the nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima that citizens were told not to worry, and that the government and the nuclear plants took control of everything. Nevertheless, these are two of the biggest nuclear disasters of our time.

Are we ready to seize this opportunity with Koeberg when information that should be in the public domain is hidden?

“First, the plant is old, and secondly, we have no information about its current condition. What if the next earthquake is stronger than that, which some scientists say is more likely?

In the worst case scenario, the Coburg evacuation plan must be implemented, evacuating tens of thousands of people, perhaps millions of people. Since radioactive contamination can render an area uninhabitable for hundreds of years, where will all these people find homes, or schools for their children?

Will there be enough services or jobs to meet the needs of these new residents? These are important questions that must be addressed publicly, with sufficient credible evidence available for public scrutiny. “

IOL

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