In anticipation of an imminent announcement from government on its planned nuclear programme roll-out, the Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa (Niasa) is alerting the local manufacturing market to the opportunities within the nuclear industry.

“It has been proven in other parts of the world that, where there is a large nuclear manufacturing base, it has a significant and positive impact on the quality of the nuclear industry,” says Niasa secretariat Gert Claassen.

He adds that the aim of this initiative is to optimise the indus-
trial benefits of the roll-out once it starts. 
As part of this drive, Niasa has held a number of public workshops to inform industries about the opportunities that exist in the nuclear industry, as well as the current standards and requirements to start manufacturing in the nuclear industry, particularly in the high-end safety products arena.

Claassen highlights the American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) certifica-
tion process as an example 
of this initiative. “South African Nuclear Energy Corpor-ation manufacturing division, Fabritech, located at Pelindaba, is in the process of certifying its manufacturing infrastructure for ASME III, which is a set of codes for the nuclear industry that specifies the quality standards for manufacturing in the nuclear industry,” he explains.

He adds that, in obtaining this certification, the company will be able to manufacture high-grade quality-certified components. He notes that while the company’s facility is small, it will be able to manufacture smaller-type components and serve as an example 
for other companies in the country.

“We are trying to find a mechanism for other companies to follow suit. However, we realise that, until there is an official 
announcement on a nuclear roll-out programme in South Africa, the only opportunities these companies will have if they do obtain certification are in the export market,” explains Claassen.

He adds that it is for this reason 
that Niasa is currently trying to find export opportunities through international nuclear 
companies, like Areva and Westinghouse, for local companies.

“These are all steps to prepare the industry,” concludes Claassen.