Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa has an opportunity to modernise its nuclear energy sector, which old grey-haired men currently dominate.
During a nuclear seminar last week, the minister also slammed individuals who have taken an anti-nuclear stance without ever stepping inside a laboratory.
“They are not experts. They are commentators who will talk about anything if you put a microphone in front of them,” City Press quoted Ramokgopa as saying.
He said real nuclear experts have kept out of the spotlight instead of standing up and pointing out the technology’s benefits, and as a result, nuclear is always on the defensive.
“In South Africa, choices about the energy mix will be based on evidence, without emotion,” he added.
The minister asked officials in his department to create a nuclear guide for laypeople to dispel myths surrounding atomic power.
Ramokgopa also questioned why there aren’t young women involved in the nuclear industry while many work in solar and the broader energy industry.
He said there is no reason why the industry cannot be young, funky, and sexy.
“Bring young people, girls, on board,” he added.
His comments come after plans to procure an additional 2,500MW of nuclear generation capacity were halted to allow for more public consultation and transparency.
“The last thing we want is to do a major build programme on the back of suspicion that the department and government is hiding something from the public,” Ramokgopa said in mid-August 2024.
Speaking at the nuclear seminar, Department of Electricity and Energy deputy director general for nuclear, Zizamele Mbambo, said nuclear power will be central to South Africa’s energy plans.
“The main focus of the discussions here is discussing the role of nuclear energy as part of the energy mix in South Africa,” he said.
“Nuclear is a central part of the South African electricity mix to provide baseload electricity. It provides one of the cheapest electricity generation options.”
“We are implementing an energy mix, and nuclear is part of the energy mix that South Africa is going to implement to ensure that we’ve got a secure and sustainable energy solution for the country,” added Mbambo.
South Africa’s nuclear energy plans include procuring 2,500MW of new nuclear power, a project Ramokgopa gazetted in January 2024.
The minister said the tendering process for the new nuclear plant would be “fair, equitable, competitive, and cost-effective”, adding that capacity could be built by Eskom, an organ of the state, or in partnership with any other juristic person — like a private business.
However, he noted that Eskom would likely operate the plant given its experience at Koeberg. He said it was yet to be determined which type of nuclear technology would be used.
“There’s the latest technology that is very rapid to deploy, relatively cheaper, and more efficient,” Ramokgopa said.
The government previously identified Thyspunt, near Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape, as a potential site for a new nuclear power station.
Several months later, Ramokgopa said the team was in the advanced stages of completing the procurement structure for the power station, with plans to share details of the bidding progress by the end of August.
However, this was before the plans were put on ice in mid-August.
