South Africa moves to revive nuclear power projects, ramp up research

ISTANBUL

South Africa will restart long-stalled nuclear power projects and reopen key research facilities as part of a push to rebuild domestic expertise and position itself in emerging global reactor fuel markets, Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said on Sunday.

“As a country, we say we are not going to be left behind,” Ramokgopa told reporters at a news conference in the capital, Pretoria.

Acknowledging past setbacks and the loss of skilled engineers, the minister said South Africa is reopening fuel development laboratories, reviving the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) program, and building a pipeline of nuclear scientists in partnership with universities.

Driven by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), South Africa is “going to ensure that we rebuild the nuclear program and the research agenda in the country,” he said.

The minister said they will reactivate key facilities, including a nuclear fuel quantification laboratory and helium test sites, positioning South Africa as a major player in nuclear research and fuel development.

Referring to China, Ramokgopa said that there is only one country currently supplying fuel for high-temperature reactors. He added that China, a major global exporter, would meet its domestic demand as new reactors come online and is poised to dominate the growing global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) market.

“With the introduction of the work that we are doing, we're going to be another player in that space,” the minister said.

“And now South Africa is going back to its rightful place as a major player on the nuclear fuel side. And we're confident that over a period of time, we'll be a dominant and indispensable player on the nuclear side,” he added.

Ramokgopa said South Africa lost about 16 years of PBMR development during a care-and-maintenance period, and catching up will require partnerships with existing players while NESCA advances work on the multi-purpose research reactor.

He said following a 2021 Cabinet decision, South Africa is proceeding with a multi-purpose research reactor, expanding existing capabilities for research and medical applications, particularly in oncology.

He added that Pretoria has provided NESCA with 1.2 billion South African rands ($70 million) in capital and plans to syndicate other players to expand nuclear capabilities, building 5.2 GW of domestic generation.

South Africa is home to Africa’s only nuclear power station, Koeberg.