South Africa is looking to expand its nuclear capacity within the next five years. The first step is to start a new nuclear power programme aimed at building a new source of power in the country.
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has called for information for goods and services, which will enable them to gain insight into the cost of the programme, possible ownership structures, cost recovery, the end user cost and sustainability. Interested parties have until September, 15 2020 to contribute information.
Currently, South Africa only has one commercial nuclear power plant, the Koeberg nuclear power station located just 30km from Cape Town. Koeberg is responsible for 5% of the country’s electricity production.
In previous years, the government considered additional nuclear power too costly, but recent challenges with Eskom and improved leadership in South Africa has led the department to consider making bigger moves towards nuclear power stability.
In a statement issued by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, upfront planning will soon begin to properly prepare for building additional nuclear capacity.
The new programme will be able to supply as much as 2500MW of additional power to the country’s power grid.
A no-regret approach is being taken towards the new nuclear build programme, with the project planned to move at a pace that South Africa can afford and manage properly.
There is no news on where the department is planning to build the new station. If it goes ahead, SA could welcome the a new source of power before 2025.
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