As South Africa “gears up” for its Nuclear New Build Programme (NNBP), State-owned power utility Eskom has joined hands with the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) as its partner on the ground at the preferred Thyspunt site, in the Eastern Cape, for the construction of the programme’s first nuclear power reactors.

Eskom, which had applied for the environmental authorisation for the first 4 000 MW of reactors, was undertaking preparatory activity in the event that the site is endorsed and the green light given, said Eskom NNBP acting GM Loyiso Tyabashe on Tuesday.

In line with this, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Eskom and the CDC is aimed at building localisation capacity through supplier and skills development related to the programme’s infrastructure.

Outlining the basis of the MoU during the signing ceremony at Eskom’s Megawatt Park headquarters, in Sunninghill, Tyabashe noted that this was in line with the prior and current draft Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) for the country.

“There is a huge opportunity to leverage the entire industry chain, [and] develop the skills [and businesses] for the development of the programme,” CDC business development executive manager Christopher Mashigo added.

Eskom executive for group capital Abram Masango said that, while Eskom sought to deliver reliable, decarbonised baseload power, it was critical to lay the foundation for local meaningful participation during the project’s development through job creation and upskilling, as well as the provision of business opportunities.

The power utility had based its development plans on the IRP 2010, which outlined the first new nuclear unit by 2023. However, with an updated plan currently under consideration, Eskom anticipated this to influence those previously determined timelines and the pace of the group’s nuclear development plans.

Despite this uncertainty, Eskom aimed to ensure that upfront development got under way and the requisite skills and approvals were secured to prevent any delays when construction got the go ahead.

The MoU covers project management and implementation services for infrastructure; skills development and localisation; stakeholder engagement and communications; provision of the requisite skills training during the various stages of the project; socioeconomic development studies of the impact of the NNBP; and fitness for duty centre processes.