Speaking during a media briefing on Sunday, Ramokgipa said the move marks a major shift in SA’s ability to re-enter the nuclear fuel cycle and unlock both domestic and commercial opportunities.
“SA is going back to its rightful place as a major player on the nuclear fuel cycle, and we are confident that over a period of time, we’ll be a dominant and indispensable player on the nuclear side,” he said.
Ramokgopa explained that the decision enables the reopening of fuel development laboratories for research and development, positioning SA to benefit from the rapid global growth of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
“There are over 80% of SMRs that are at differing stages of development. We know that it’s only one country that is a supplier of this fuel. With the exponential rise of SMRs, and with the introduction of the work that we are doing, we are going to be another player in that space,” he said.
Last month, Ramokgopa released the Integrated Resource Plan 2025, which outlines plans to install 5200MW of new nuclear capacity.
He said nuclear energy will be central to addressing Africa’s electricity deficit, advancing industrialisation, and supporting the beneficiation of critical minerals needed for global decarbonisation.
“As a country, we are not going to be left behind. We have built a body of knowledge over time…and once we’ve lifted this care and maintenance, we are confident that the engineers that we invested in will come back, and working with universities, we are going to build a pipeline of nuclear scientists,” he said.
Ramokgopa also highlighted Duynefontein, adjacent to the existing Koeberg plant, as one of the approved locations for the new nuclear build.
“A major decision was taken by the Department of Forestry and Environment…we were granted the Environmental Impact Assessment for the site that we had identified for the new nuclear build, and that is Duynefontein. When we initiate this new build, at least 2 400MW of nuclear energy can be deployed. We are also able to demonstrate that now there’s a site that is fully permitted for us to roll out the nuclear build programme,” he said.
–ChannelAfrica–
