Don’t panic! Residents throughout a portion of Cape City will on Tuesday be interrupted by a “full-volume siren check” on the Koeberg nuclear energy station.
Eskom mentioned on Monday that the check, which is able to happen between 10am and noon on Tuesday, will have an effect on Atlantis, Bloubergstrand, Van Riebeekstrand, Sunningdale, Duynefontein, West Seashore, Melbosstrand, Parklands, Philadelphia and Robben Island.
“The siren system has been put in in your space to tell you of an emergency at Koeberg,” Eskom mentioned in an announcement to residents. “The sirens are for the good thing about the general public and have to be maintained and in a working situation always.”
It mentioned Tuesday’s deliberate siren check kinds a part of Koeberg’s emergency plan within the occasion of a nuclear accident.
“You can be alerted to the testing of the sirens by public handle bulletins earlier than and after the sirens are sounded. Don’t take any motion,” Eskom warned.
“If obligatory, particular person sirens could also be retested on 5 and 6 March for upkeep functions… As a precaution, please be sure that your pets are indoors or are in an space the place they can’t escape. As a result of quantity and the sound of the wailing check finished, canines have been recognized to run away from their houses.”
The corporate added: “Please don’t panic as that is solely a check.”
The deliberate siren check comes after Eskom mentioned late on Sunday {that a} unit at Koeberg was shut down after experiencing an unplanned, non-technical journey whereas working at full capability.
Tripped
Eskom mentioned that Koeberg unit 2 inadvertently tripped throughout work on unit 1, which is at present offline. The second unit was switched off in accordance with protocol, Eskom mentioned, including that the start-up course of for the tripped unit was within the works.
Unit 2 is predicted to be reconnected to the nationwide grid inside 48 hours, it mentioned.
Learn: Municipal debt mountain threatens Eskom restructuring
Koeberg’s two models contribute round 1.86GW or 5% of nationwide energy provide. — (c) 2025 NewsCentral Media, with extra reporting (c) 2025 Reuters
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