SA sets up task team to drive future nuclear development

The South African government has established a nuclear task team to develop a framework for procuring a nuclear technology partner to support both the nuclear power station build programme, and the associated industrialisation process.“This will probably take about a year,” Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) DG Portia Molefe told journalists in Pretoria on Friday.This came after Eskom announced that it would not award the tender for the nuclear power station that was originally proposed to come into service in 2017. A consortium led by Areva of France, and another consortium led by US-based Westinghouse were the two preferred bidders for the contract, and negotiations had been taking place for about a year.The core change was that instead of just procuring only one power station, the task team would be looking for a partner that would co-develop the nuclear industry in South Africa, and assist in the introduction of broadening of the nuclear base, which currently consists of only the Koeberg power station.