Cutting Corners? The International Best Practice Safety Upgrades not implemented as part of Koeberg's lifetime extension

In late May and early June, public hearings will be held to consider Eskom's application to extend the Lifetime Operation (LTO) of Koeberg by 20 years. In order to meet regulatory approval for lifetime extension of nuclear plants identical to Koeberg, France is requiring their operator to make significant safety improvements. The original design of the CP 900 MWe reactor series, to which Koeberg belongs, is considered unsafe for continued operation as it does not integrate the safety features newer nuclear plants have, which were added as result of lessons learned from serious nuclear accidents since the 1970s. This paper compares the upgrades required by South Africa to those required in France.