Ramokgopa gets ‘expert advice’ on SA’s nuclear programme

Minister for Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says he is getting expert advice to reignite the country’s nuclear build programme. He was speaking on the sidelines of the second G20 Energy Transitions working group meeting in Cape Town.

During sessions at the meeting, Ramokgopa told delegates that the global tendency is that more countries are including nuclear power to transition to green energy sources. He said his department was in the process of gathering information to present to the cabinet, to lifting of the pebble bed modular reactor from maintenance.

This, in an effort to include more nuclear in the energy mix.

“Remember, there has not been an issue around the need for nuclear, issue is affordability and financial muscle to pay for the upfront capital cost. So, they will help me answer that question on pace and scale. So, we are getting them from all over the world. Thanks to the International Atomic Energy Agency they have been very helpful to advise me to identify those experts,” explains the minister.

Ramokgopa has acknowledged that the money involved to restart the nuclear build programme is unlikely to ever come from the fiscus.

“For us, to restart the entire nuclear programme in the country, NEXA has done preliminary studies. You will need R60 billion. That will never come from the fiscus. That much we know. But when we went to China and the US … there is a number of entities that want to work with us and are prepared to invest in this programme,” add Ramokgopa.