Unit 1 at South Africa's nuclear power station, Koeberg, is up and running and delivering electricity to the national network once again, Eskom said in a statement on Monday.

Unit 1 has been out of service for some seven months, which largely resulted in the blackouts which hit the Western Cape late last year.

Unit 2, which has been running at full capacity, will now be taken out of operation for refuelling. The unit is currently generating at some 60 percent of its capacity, Eskom said.

According to Andrew Etzinger, manager of the Western Cape recovery plan for Eskom, demand-side management measures have been effectively implemented, and residents in the Western Cape have changed their electricity consumption behaviour, benefiting the entire region.

“Due to the energy conservation efforts of the residents and industries in the Cape, minimal load shedding has been necessary since February. In addition to the more than 1.5-million energy-saving lamps (CFLs) that have been distributed in the city free of charge, Eskom is now concentrating on the installation of special geyser blankets and a plan to switch off geysers in some suburbs during peak times by means of a radio signal,” he said.

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