South Africa’s state utility Eskom has submitted a feasibility programme for 5,200 megawatts (MW) of new nuclear capacity, Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said on 10 November. He put the preliminary cost at about R250 billion ($15 billion) and said the units would enter service between 2036 and 2039; final costs and financing are still being assessed. The 2025 Integrated Resource Plan set the 5,200 MW target, and the energy department is preparing a determination for public comment, the legal trigger for procurement. The build, the country’s first in about 50 years, would add baseload capacity as Eskom reviews which coal stations to retire, but its cost could fall on tariffs, Eskom’s balance sheet or the state.
Sources
- SAnews (South African Government News Agency): https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/south-africas-new-nuclear-build-be-anchored-science
- Eyewitness News: https://www.ewn.co.za/ramokgopa-says-eskom-submits-feasibility-report-for-5-200mw-nuclear-build-programme