South Africa will revive long-dormant nuclear projects and reopen shuttered research centres in a bid to reclaim its place in the global reactor fuel market, Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said on Sunday. He told reporters in Pretoria that the government refuses to “be left behind” as nations race to secure fuel supplies for new generations of reactors.
Ramokgopa acknowledged years of setbacks and the loss of skilled engineers, saying the country is reopening fuel development labs, restoring the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor programme, and training new nuclear scientists with local universities. He said the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation will drive the effort to rebuild the national research agenda and restore industrial capability.
According to the minister, key facilities such as a nuclear fuel quantification laboratory and helium test sites will be reactivated to position the country as a significant player in reactor research. He noted that China remains the only supplier of fuel for high-temperature reactors and is set to dominate the fast-growing market for Small Modular Reactors.
Ramokgopa said South Africa intends to join that arena and eventually stand as an indispensable provider of advanced nuclear fuel. He warned that the country lost sixteen years of progress on the PBMR during a prolonged maintenance pause, and catching up will require collaboration with established international partners.
The minister said Pretoria is moving ahead with a multi-purpose research reactor approved in 2021, expanding its capabilities for scientific work and medical use, especially in oncology. He added that the government has granted 1.2 billion rand to the national nuclear agency and plans broader investment to support a future 5.2-gigawatt domestic generation programme. South Africa currently hosts the continent’s only nuclear power plant at Koeberg, a reminder of its once-ambitious nuclear aspirations.