Everyone of goodwill should congratulate ESKOM for the decision by the National Nuclear Regulator of South Africa to approve the 20-year extension of its Koeberg nuclear power plant. It is the only one in all of Africa and has functioned flawlessly for 40 years. The 20-year extension provides a breathing space for bringing online many new nuclear plants.
Since 2007, South Africa has experienced multiple periods of load-shedding, as the power is shut off from one area to another, sharing the misery. These outages, from 2-4 hours long, are no joke. While hospitals have back-up generators, not so, for example, older folks with sleep apnea, which is prevented by an electric pump; if it fails to work, the person risks a heart attack, heart failure, coronary artery disease, and irregular heartbeats like atrial fibrillation.
