By Johnathan Paoli
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has announced a series of developments in South Africa’s nuclear energy programme, declaring that the country is entering “a new era” in securing clean, reliable baseload power.
Speaking during a media briefing on Sunday, Ramokgopa outlined progress at Koeberg, fresh momentum for new nuclear builds, and the revival of the country’s once-stalled Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) programme.
“South Africa is transitioning at a pace it can afford. We are reindustrialising, rebuilding research capabilities, creating advanced skills, and positioning South Africa as a continental and global nuclear leader. The era of nuclear is here and South Africa intends to claim its rightful place,” he said.
At the centre of the update is Koeberg, Africa’s only nuclear power station.
Ramokgopa confirmed that Eskom has completed the replacement of all three steam generators on Koeberg Unit 1 and has now finished the same work on Unit 3, enabling critical refuelling and maintenance.
“Koeberg is an important part of South Africa’s energy system. This licence extension means we can continue deriving electricity from the station’s two reactors, which together provide 1,860 megawatts,” he said.
The National Nuclear Regulator recently approved a 20-year life-extension licence for Koeberg Unit 2, guaranteeing operations until 2045.
Ramokgopa said this strengthens the country’s ability to stabilise the grid and ensures that nuclear energy remains part of the baseload capacity, insisting that the modelling in the Integrated Resource Plan shows nuclear is vital for accelerating the onboarding of renewables.
“Solar and wind depend on nuclear’s stability within the baseload mix,” he said.
The minister said that nuclear’s clean, zero-emissions profile also supports South Africa’s long-term just transition strategy, adding that the Koeberg extension adds two more decades to the 40 years of power the station has already delivered.
A major parallel development is momentum in the long-planned new nuclear build programme.
The minister confirmed that following an environmental impact assessment, authorisation has been granted for the Duynefontein site, adjacent to Koeberg, paving the way for a minimum of 2,400 MW of new nuclear capacity.
“The IRP empowers us to proceed, and we now have a fully permitted site to roll out the programme,” Ramokgopa said.
The IRP makes provision for 5.2 GW of new nuclear generation.
With Duynefontein approved, the government is now conducting assessments for additional sites, including in the Eastern Cape.
One of the most significant announcements, however, involves the revival of South Africa’s advanced nuclear research capability.
Cabinet has approved the lifting of the PBMR project out of care-and-maintenance, a status it has held since 2010, when fiscal pressures halted development.
The PBMR programme once employed nearly 2,000 specialised engineers and scientists and positioned South Africa as a global leader in high-temperature reactor research.
“With more than 20 countries planning to triple their nuclear capacity, and with global finance institutions now willing to fund small modular reactors, the time has come for South Africa to reclaim this capability.
“We are well positioned. Nuclear is now recognised as green under global taxonomies, and major investors, including data-centre operators, are entering the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) field,” Ramokgopa said.
The decision allows the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) to restart key facilities, including the helium test site, and to reopen fuel development laboratories.
South Africa aims to become the world’s second supplier of high-temperature reactor fuel; China is currently the only producer.
SMRs, Ramokgopa said, could dramatically reshape South Africa’s energy architecture.
They can be built close to industrial hubs, reducing the need for expensive transmission lines.
“South Africa currently plans to build 14,000 kilometres of new lines at a cost of R440 billion. SMRs allow us to avoid some of that cost,” he said.
They also provide a way to electrify remote communities where grid expansion is prohibitive.
Reviving the PBMR programme aligns with the nuclear industrialisation ambitions outlined in the IRP, potentially pushing future nuclear capacity beyond 10 GW.
This, the minister said, positions South Africa to support Africa’s industrialisation, beneficiate critical minerals essential for global decarbonisation, and help address the continent’s massive energy access gap.
The minister also confirmed progress on the multipurpose research reactor that will complement Necsa’s SAFARI-1 unit.
On nuclear waste, Ramokgopa stressed that South Africa now covers the full fuel cycle.
Low- and intermediate-level waste is stored at Vaalputs, while progress continues on a Central Interim Storage Facility for spent Koeberg fuel and plans for a Deep Geological Repository in line with global best practice.
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