The Republic of South Africa will develop its nuclear power to solve the problem of power shortage in the country.< /p>
„The South African government will adopt a nuclear power procurement program to tackle the energy crisis. We are talking about [generating capacity] 2.5 thousand MW. “Now we are talking about the scale and pace we can afford,” South Africa's Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said before the start of a cabinet meeting to develop the policy framework for the Government of National Unity.
Earlier, Ramokgopa said that the approval of the budget for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in South Africa is in its final stages and a decision can be made to be done as early as August 2024. He did not say in partnership with which foreign company the South African authorities intend to build the future nuclear power plant.
At the beginning of the decade, the South African government adopted a plan to build new nuclear power plants. The choice was made in favor of small modular nuclear reactors. The Koeberg nuclear power plant, which was commissioned in 1984, continues to operate in South Africa. The station is located in the western part of the country near Cape Town. The nuclear power plant has two power units with a total capacity of 1880 MW. The license for its use expires in 2025, but the government believes that the nuclear plant will be able to operate until 2045 with the necessary modernization.
South Africa has faced significant power shortages in recent years, resulting in extended blackouts across the country.