Limassol: AfricUpdate – News Desk
South Africa has taken another step toward developing nuclear energy, aiming to double its current capacity. According to MyBroadband, South Africa’s Minister of Environment Dion George has dismissed appeals from environmental organizations, including Greenpeace Africa, giving the state-owned utility Eskom the “green light” to construct and operate a 4,000 MW nuclear power plant in the Western Cape province.
The Department of Environmental Affairs had already issued an environmental authorization for the construction of the 4,000 MW Duynefontein Nuclear Power Plant back in October 2017. However, environmental groups challenged the decision. The minister’s ruling now closes the chapter on environmental debates surrounding the plant. Nevertheless, Eskom still needs to secure several legally required permits before it can begin construction and operation, including:
•A nuclear installation license from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR).
•Approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).
•A water use license from the Department of Water and Sanitation.
•Other necessary authorizations, such as from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.
Dion George’s decision reaffirms South Africa’s commitment to building new nuclear plants in addition to the existing Koeberg station, a goal first announced in 2007. At the time, Eskom’s plan envisioned doubling the country’s generating capacity by 2025, including 20 GW of new nuclear power plants to reduce dependence on coal and ensure energy security.
These plans have yet to materialize, but in early May 2025, Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa stated that South Africa is seeking nuclear energy experts to help enable large-scale and affordable nuclear capacity development. He said that finding such experts is part of his effort to revive the country’s nuclear build program, whose credibility, he claimed, was undermined by procurement and administrative issues.
Ramokgopa emphasized that for the program to be considered reliable in South Africa’s energy market, it must have at least 10 GW of capacity. The Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa estimated the total program cost at 60 billion rand ($3.4 billion). He also said that for technical assistance in building, South Africa could turn to the US, China, Russia, France, and South Korea, but he spoke highly of China’s potential, noting that the country already supplies nuclear fuel to the Koeberg plant.
