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South Africa’s National Energy Regulator (Nersa) has requested public comment on the new government nuclear power proposall For the country.
The proposal will allow the government to acquire 2,500 megawatts (MW) of additional nuclear capacity by 2030 and beyond.
“The capacity is to provide clean base load capacity in response to the approximately 24,100 MW of coal capacity being decommissioned, as well as to maintain a balance between supply and demand and improve energy security,” the regulator said.
Commenting on the need for new options, Nersa said that load shedding has not only resulted in a loss of security of electricity supply to the country, but also costs sectors of the economy billions of rand and leads to loss of jobs, as electricity is an economic factor. enabler.
“The acquisition of 2,500 MW of nuclear power will increase the nuclear contribution to the country’s energy mix from 2.4% to 5.6%,” he said.
Average annual electricity demand is expected to grow 1.8% in 2030 and 1.4% in 2050. The problem is exacerbated by the planned decommissioning of several Eskom coal-fired power plants, with 5,732 MW scheduled to be decommissioned in 2023.
This will increase to 11,017 MW by 2030, Nersa said. “After 2030, the expected additional decommissioning of 24,100MW of coal-fired power plants supports the need for additional capacity from cleaner energy technologies, including nuclear.”
The country currently has only one nuclear plant. The campaign for additional facilities largely faded after the ruling party forced Jacob Zuma to resign as president in 2018.
The additional plants were deemed largely inaccessible, and the nation’s economic downturn has further undermined the government’s ability to pay for them.
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