South African Electricity & Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has announced a series of developments in South Africa’s nuclear energy programme, declaring “a new era” in securing clean, reliable baseload power.
Addressing a media briefing, he outlined progress at the Koeberg NPP, fresh momentum for new nuclear builds, and the revival of the 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.
Dr Ramokgopa confirmed that state power company Eskom has completed the replacement of all three steam generators at unit 1 of the Koeberg NPP and has now finished the same work on unit 3, enabling refuelling and maintenance. The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) recently approved a 20-year life-extension licence for Koeberg Unit 2, guaranteeing operations until 2045. “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.
He explained that this strengthens South Africa’s ability to stabilise the grid and ensures that nuclear energy remains part of the baseload capacity, noting that the modelling in the Integrated Resource Plan shows nuclear is vital for accelerating the onboarding of renewables.
In October, the government approved the final draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2025) mapping out the electricity mix, aiming to balance supply and demand while considering environmental impact and the cost of electricity. It represents a ZAR2,230bn ($95.4bn) investment that will define South Africa’s energy mix for the future.
“Solar and wind depend on nuclear’s stability within the baseload mix,” Dr Ramokgopa said. He added that nuclear’s clean, zero-emissions profile also supports South Africa’s long-term transition strategy, pointing out that the Koeberg extension adds two more decades to the 40 years of power the station has already delivered.
He also referred to progress in the long-planned new nuclear build programme. He 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 MWe of new nuclear capacity. “The IRP empowers us to proceed, and we now have a fully permitted site to roll out the programme,” he said. IRP-2025 makes provision for 5.2 GWe of new nuclear generation. Following approval for Duynefontein, the government is now conducting assessments for additional sites, including in the Eastern Cape.
Speaking about revival of the PBMR programme, he noted: “With more than 20 countries planning to triple their nuclear capacity, and with global finance institutions now willing to fund small modular reactors (SMRs), 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 SMR field,” Dr Ramokgopa said.
He added that SMRs 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 ZAR440bn ($25.7bn). 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 GWe. He noted that this 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.
He also confirmed progress on the multipurpose research reactor that will complement the ageing SAFARI-1 reactor currently operated by the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa). In 2021 the government approved construction of a new Multipurpose Reactor as a replacement. Dr Ramokgopa earlier this year announced a budget allocation of ZAR1.2bn for the project.
On nuclear waste, he stressed that South Africa now manages the full fuel cycle. Low- and intermediate-level waste is stored at Vaalputs, while progress continues on a Central Interim Storage Facility for used Koeberg fuel and on plans for a Deep Geological Repository in line with global best practice.
He said South Africa is going back to its rightful place as a major player on the nuclear fuel cycle. Nuclear will play a crucial role in ensuring South Africa addresses the needs of 600m people on the continent who don’t have access to electricity, plus the industrialisation of Africa, and the need to process critical minerals to underpin the de-carbonisation agenda.
