Overview
- Eskom reported that highly sensitive monitors recorded three short airborne contamination events inside controlled sections of Unit 2 during maintenance activities between June 30 and July 7.
- All work zones were evacuated and screened and officials say no radioactive material reached the environment or posed any risk to the public.
- Worker monitoring showed very low exposures with the maximum dose about 20 microsieverts, a tiny fraction of the 20,000 microsievert annual limit.
- Eskom attributed the detections to routine Eddy Current Testing on steam generators and a temporary loss of ventilation that lifted microscopic oxide particles called 'crud', and it classified the events as INES Level 0 and notified the National Nuclear Regulator.
- The utility and government said the Unit 2 outage remains on schedule and reiterated that Koeberg’s 20‑year life extension and plans to add about 5–5.2 GW of new nuclear capacity will continue as planned, with officials holding the briefing to counter misinformation and reassure nearby communities.