Eskom has placed a safety officer at the Koeberg nuclear power station north of Cape Town on precautionary suspension after a drone crashed on the site in contravention of nuclear safety regulations.
Eskom said in a media statement on Wednesday that the drone was returned to its owner without an investigation into what happened having been completed. This necessitated the officer’s suspension as a precautionary measure, the power utility said.
“The matter has also been reported to the South African Police Service as Koeberg is a national key point,” it said. Such points enjoy special protection under the National Key Points Act of 1980.
A report on technology website htxt.africa pointed out that in addition to the National Key Points Act requirements, South Africa’s drone regulations prevent anyone from flying a drone over roads and they must be kept at least 50m away from buildings.
In an unrelated incident, Eskom said it has placed both the Koeberg station manager and the plant manager on precautionary suspension as a result of the “distribution of documentation containing unauthorised facts and assumptions relating to Koeberg’s production plan and, in particular, the steam generator replacement”.
“The potential prejudice caused to Eskom by the unauthorised actions of the suspended personnel is currently being assessed,” it said. — © 2016 NewsCentral Media