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This morning Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa briefed the media regarding significant updates on key developments in South Africa’s Nuclear Energy Program.
The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has announced that Eskom plans to add 5.2 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity to the national system through future nuclear builds. This is part of a wider Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) aimed at diversifying the grid and providing stable, reliable power.
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria this morning, the Minister stated that nuclear energy will play a critical and expanded role in the country’s power generation mix.
Power utility Eskom has successfully been granted licence extensions for both Unit One and Unit Two of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. The move allows the only nuclear plant in the country to continue operations for an additional 20 years-with Unit One now licensed until 2044 and Unit Two until 2045.
Earlier this month, the National Nuclear Regulator approved a 20-year licence extension for Koeberg Unit 2, allowing continued operation until 2045. Unit 1, which marked its 40th anniversary in July last year, also received a licence extension until July 2044.
The two units will continue to supply around 1 860 megawatts of clean and reliable electricity to the national grid. Ramokgopa, says Eskom had to align with the international long-term nuclear operations standards to earn these licenses.
“For us to be able to end this license, we needed to ensure that we also align with what we call the international long-term nuclear operations standards. What do those require? The first one is that there have to be comprehensive safety inspections and compliance assessments. And there have to be upgrades to safety systems, monitoring equipment, and also infrastructure. As we all know, nuclear requires very rigorous and stringent safety requirements. So, it’s important that when you go into the next cycle of the life of these power stations, that you also upgrade our safety systems and also the monitoring equipment.”
Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa briefing members of the media earlier this morning regarding the latest developments in relation to the Nuclear Energy in the country, highliting it as an anchor of the country’s energy security. @Eskom_SA @nrwdi_org pic.twitter.com/ohZNV397uE
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Ramokgopa says South Africa wants to build its own domestic generation of 5.2 gigawatts and even more of electricity from nuclear, and be a global player in the nuclear fuel cycle. He says nuclear will not only be a benefit for electricity generation.
“Just to give you a sense, we are a big player in the detection and curing of cancers, the field of medical science that is concerned with cancers, that is oncology. Nexa is a big part. We have numbers here; they are doing applications, medical applications. We account for about 20% of the supply of isotopes across the globe. So, we’re not looking for nuclear simply for purposes of electricity generation but also for purposes of of medicinal medicinal purposes,” Ramokgopa elaborates.
Ramokgopa says Eskom is currently exploring a nuclear build programme, which will ensure that the country has its own nuclear production and allow it to participate in the nuclear fuel cycle. Ramokgopa also announced that Eskom has decided to establish a subsidiary company called Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) pursuant to nuclear development and research.
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