The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) will conduct a nuclear emergency preparedness exercise at the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) Pelindaba site before the close of the 2025/2026 financial year, which ends March. The exercise will assess NECSA’s on-site response capabilities, municipal preparedness for off-site emergencies and the readiness of the NNR’s own Regulatory Emergency Response Centre.
The exercise is one of several performance targets outlined in the NNR’s 2025/26 Annual Performance Plan (APP) recently presented to Parliament by CEO Ditebogo Kgomo. The APP, aligned with the NNR’s 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, outlines oversight priorities across nuclear safety, licensing, monitoring and emergency response.
In the year ahead, the NNR plans to conduct:
- 41 inspections at the Koeberg nuclear power station
- 170 inspections at sites handling naturally occurring radioactive materials
- 100 inspections at nuclear technology and waste facilities including Pelindaba and the Vaalputs repository
While the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute is in the process of being established as the official operator of Vaalputs, NECSA remains involved in operations until the institutional transition is complete. The NNR will also continue its environmental monitoring programme across all licensed sites.
The regulator’s Pretoria-based Environmental Surveillance Laboratory will expand its analytical capabilities with new alpha spectrometry equipment to detect uranium, radium and thorium in water samples. The new testing methods will be submitted for accreditation by the South African National Accreditation System.
Budget allocations and strategic focus
The NNR has allocated the following amounts for the 2025/26 financial year and the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF):
- R52 million (MTEF: R177 million) for regulatory oversight at Koeberg
- R63 million (MTEF: R216 million) for oversight of NECSA, mining activities and nuclear technology facilities including the processing of installation and nuclear vessel licences, certificates of registration and exemption as well as safety reviews and assessments
- R78 million (MTEF: R268 million) to support cross-cutting nuclear safety functions such as safety assessments, emergency planning and regulatory innovation
- R173 million (MTEF: R590 million) for general administration
Under its Medium-Term Development Plan, the NNR has earmarked R349 million allocated as follows:
- R15 million to build stakeholder trust
- R112 million to strengthen nuclear safety oversight
- R6 million to enhance emergency preparedness
- R61 million to improve regulatory practices and drive nuclear safety innovation
- R155 million to strengthen organisational capacity
An additional R18 million has been allocated for capital expenditure.
The NNR has committed to publishing all authorisation decisions – covering new applications, amendments, revocations and surrenders – every quarter.
