The priority being given to the procurement of new nuclear capacity by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has many scratching their heads. For one, there is no allocation for nuclear in the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019) to 2030. There is no sign that the private sector, whose funding or offtake commitments will be critical given the perilous state of Eskom and government finances, has any appetite to for nuclear. Thirdly, none of the small nuclear reactors preferred by the Minister are actually available commercially. Also perplexing is why government is so energetic on nuclear, yet it is so lethargic in ensuring that the technologies actually listed in the IRP 2019 are procured.