New nuclear energy to come on stream by 2037, under latest plans
The Cabinet has approved a draft base case energy plan for SA, which paves the way for gas and renewables to provide the biggest chunk of new installed capacity by 2050. There has been a significant reduction in installed capacity from coal compared with the 2011 integrated resource plan, although coal and nuclear energy will contribute most of the energy mix by 2050. Department of Energy deputy director-general Jacob Mbele said at a media briefing on Tuesday that the nuclear energy supply would be commissioned and already in the system by 2037, with 1,000MW of hydro energy coming in about 2030. A price of $5.4m per megawatt of nuclear energy has been used for the scenario planning. Eskom head of generation Matshela Koko said that, assuming nuclear capacity of 20,000MW was built between 2025 and 2037, this would require a 10-year lead time for construction. So Eskom would continue with its request for proposals for a nuclear procurement this year to test the market. He emphasised th...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.