Necsa Eyes SMRs in South Africa’s New Energy Plan

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has announced that it is looking for ways to integrate small modular reactors (SMRs) in the upcoming updated Integrated Resource Plan.

Speaking in Cape Town on Tuesday, Sengiphile Simelane, Group Executive of Power and Industry, Necsa highlighted the potential of SMRs in driving electricity generation and non-energy applications in the country.

“At Necsa, we are trying to ensure this dream becomes a reality. We are working with the Ministry [of Electricity and Energy] towards the deployment of nuclear energy,” Simelane stated, adding, “We are looking at SMRs as a solution to long development timelines, massive costs and scalability of large-scale nuclear power plants.”

Simelane stated that Necsa aims to deploy SMRs for use at the SAFARI-1 research reactor at Pelindaba. He further emphasized that SMRs can be deployed in areas where there is no grid and for use in industry, desalination and clean hydrogen production.

“The largest application potential for SMRs is in industrial clusters, remote areas with limited grid infrastructure and data centers,” stated Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, Minister of Electricity and Energy, South Africa, adding, “They can be rapidly deployed; they are not pressurized, and they are very mobile.”

Simelane also stated that Necsa is reaching out to potential international partners in Russia and China to support SMR deployment in South Africa.