Mineral Resources and Energy Deputy Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has reaffirmed the government’s policy of building 2 500 MW of new nuclear energy capacity in the country, with the process starting in 2024. She was delivering the keynote address at the 2022 Nuclear Technology Imbizo (conference) on Wednesday.

In her address, she particularly stressed the role of nuclear energy in achieving net-zero carbon emission energy generation, both locally and globally. “[W]e recognise that nuclear plays a pivotal role as one of the clean energy sources that are needed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050,” she affirmed.

Nkabane noted that, under the country’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan, some 24 100 MW of coal-fired electricity generation capacity was to be closed down, starting from 2030. Consequently, South Africa needed new capacity that would provide cleaner baseload generation. Nuclear should be recognised as one of those sources of clean energy.

“The silence about the role of nuclear energy in the National Climate Change debate is of concern,” she said. “Our policy embraces an energy mix which includes nuclear, coal, hydro, gas, battery storage and renewable energy.”

She pointed out that nuclear energy had been recognised as one of the clean energy options at the December 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, along with renewable energy. Further, she cited the International Atomic Energy Agency, which had reported that a number of countries were planning to include nuclear energy in their Nationally Determined Contributions to the global fight against climate change.

“South Africa is well endowed with nuclear capability and should align with the global consensus to recognise that nuclear power will play a critical role in mitigating climate change,” asserted Nkabane. “Therefore, South Africa should include nuclear power and infrastructure as part of the green taxonomy to ensure nuclear is competitive and sustainable.”