South Africa delays nuclear procurement process to allow for further public consultation

South Africa will postpone the procurement process for a new nuclear power station to allow for further public consultation, according to its Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

At a press briefing in Pretoria on Friday (August 16), Ramokgopa said the ministerial determination for the procurement of 2,500 MWe of new nuclear capacity was withdrawn following legal challenges, Reuters reported.

The minister announced the delay in the nuclear procurement process, acknowledging that there should have been more public involvement up to this point. Ramokgopa stated that he decided to retract a document published in the government gazette that would have enabled the procurement to move forward.

According to the minister, officials will now revise a report to address the conditions set by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) for supporting the procurement and will seek further public input.

Ramokgopa emphasised that the government remained committed to expanding its nuclear capacity beyond the 1,900-MW Koeberg plant near Cape Town but would do so at a pace and scale that the country can afford.

“So it will add another three to six months in the process,” the minister said. “We are happy to do that for as long as we protect the integrity of the process; for as long as we cement the transparency of the process so that there’s general public confidence in the work that we are doing.”

The government’s plans to procure additional nuclear capacity were challenged by the Democratic Alliance (DA) political party together with two non-governmental organisations (NGOs), with a court hearing set for 15 October.

“We view this withdrawal as a significant step in ensuring that public voices are considered in decisions of this magnitude. It represents an important win for the rule of law and the principles of transparency,” the DA stated as reported by the World Nuclear News (WNN). 

In the meantime, the South African government is in the process of revising its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which outlines strategies to secure the country’s electricity supply. The previous IRP, released in 2019, highlighted the importance of maintaining nuclear power within South Africa’s energy mix and supported the state-owned utility company Eskom in seeking a licence for the long-term operation of the Koeberg nuclear power plant (NPP).

Koeberg, the only operating NPP on the African continent, contributes about 5% of South Africa's electricity generation. In July, the NPP marked 40 years of safe operation of its Unit 1 reactor.

Also last month, South Africa’s National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) granted Eskom a licence to continue operating Koeberg Unit 1 for another 20 years until 21 July 2044. The NNR is expected to reach a decision on the long-term operation of Unit 2 by early November 2025.

Ramokgopa has previously acknowledged his understanding of increasing public distrust for government initiatives and stressed that his department would be transparent in its undertakings, as reported by NewsBase.

“Nuclear is part of the mix. Nuclear is part of the future but it’s important that as we go out and procure, the procurement process must be able to stand the test of time,” the minister said when announcing the withdrawal of the ministerial determination. “In this instance, it’s the ability to be able to subject itself to scrutiny,” he added.