The South African Young Nuclear Professionals Society (SAYNPS) has welcomed the plans put forward by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe on May 7 regarding the country’s nuclear sector. These were proposals to build new nuclear power plants (NPPs), to extend the life of the current Koeberg NPP, to replace the SAFARI-1 research reactor with a new multipurpose reactor and to set up a central sustainable interim radioactive waste management facility.

(Mantashe had proposed that the new NPPs have a total capacity of 2 500 MW. He had also indicated that such new NPPs would likely be small modular reactors – SMRs – and could be built by the private sector, requiring no State funding.)

The society observed that maintenance of some plants – it did not specify which ones – had been hampered by the country’s dependence on imported spares, parts, equipment and even personnel, the supply of all of which had been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. It therefore welcomed the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) recognition of the need to localise the nuclear technology value chain, thereby achieving self-reliance. The SAYNPS also observed that such localisation would stimulate the country’s economy and create many jobs. 

“SAYNPS still believes that with the appropriate finance model, the country can still build at least two units of larger reactors with a carrying capacity of up to at least 2 000 MWe whilst the remaining 500 MWe can be allocated to SMRs, with the aim of expanding SMRs in the future, as the technology continues to develop,” it affirmed. “SAYNPS urges the government to keep this option open as a no regret option (in terms of proven technologies).”

Regarding the proposed SMRs, the society recommended that they be built on brownfield sites, specifically the sites of decommissioned coal-fired power plants. This approach would help repurpose those sites and maintain economic activity in their adjacent communities, benefitting those societies. 

The society further urged the government to “immediately accelerate” the development of the country’s own advanced high temperature reactor technology. This would provide both national self-reliance and create an opportunity to sell such reactors to other African countries. It also called on the DMRE to include “the youth” in these projects.