Necsa puts toe in water for small nuclear reactor production

A man walks past Pelindaba Nuclear Research Centre, west of Pretoria, on 10 July 2012. Picture: Gallo Images / The Times / Alon Skuy The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has issued an invitation to manufacturers of small modular reactors (SMRs) worldwide to partner with it in developing such reactors locally. Necsa ultimately hopes to establish an entire industry in South Africa that develops and supplies these types of reactors for the rest of the continent.

The organisation also aims to again be involved in the supply of nuclear fuel and to manufacture components for the reactors, as it did previously. Nuclear power is generally regarded as a clean technology for electricity generation, and because nuclear power plants are very stable in their output, is considered an ideal technology to replace coal-fired power stations. However, building conventional nuclear power stations,such as Koeberg, is extremely expensive and takes years.

These projects are notorious for regularly exceeding both budgets and completion deadlines. Although SMRs are not yet widely commercially available, various designs are being developed globally, with the expectation that several will come into operation after 2030. According to the World Nuclear Association, which tracks progress on these projects worldwide, there are currently only two in operation – one in Russia and one in China.

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Five are under construction; two in Russia and one each in China, the US and Argentina. Their generation capacity is generally no more than 300 megawatts (MW) per unit, and the idea is that one or more such units can be installed at lower cost than conventional nuclear plants at remote towns or facilities – or data centres – without necessarily having to be connected to the national transmission grid. Necsa, a state-owned company that owns the Safari-1 research reactor and is a leading global producer of medical isotopes, says in a press release that it is seeking “suitably qualified and experienced organisations, consortia, and technology providers to partner in the development, customisation, demonstration, and deployment of a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) for multiple uses in South Africa.” Necsa Group CEO Loyiso Tyabashe says the organisation aims to gather detailed information on available SMR technologies, their maturity, licensing experience, and readiness for deployment.

“Our aim is to demonstrate an SMR technology that will produce power, process heat and isotopes. This gives Necsa an opportunity to assess existing capabilities and financing models to fulfil its strategic objectives of positioning South Africa at the forefront of advanced nuclear technologies,” he adds.

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