South Africa will restart its long-dormant pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) programme following a Cabinet decision announced by Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on November 16. The move lifts the project out of its care and maintenance status and transfers the PBMR from Eskom to the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA).
Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria, Ramokgopa said the decision restores South Africa’s position in advanced nuclear research and high-temperature reactor development. “South Africa is going back to its rightful place as a major player on the nuclear fuel cycle,” he said. The minister said the change allows government to reopen fuel development laboratories and restart research associated with the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor design. South Africa aims to participate in the global small modular reactor (SMR) market and must not be “left behind” as international development accelerates, he added.
The announcement comes as the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2025) includes 5,2 GW of new nuclear capacity. The PBMR, originally halted in 2010, was South Africa’s advanced reactor initiative based on helium-cooled, TRISO-fuel technology designed for modular deployment and industrial heat applications.
NECSA welcomed Cabinet’s decision in a statement, describing it as a “significant step” for national energy security, localisation and nuclear sovereignty. Group CEO Loyiso Tyabashe said the corporation is ready to utilise PBMR technology to produce nuclear fuel and pursue strategic partnerships for further development. He said the global shift toward SMRs strengthens the case for reviving South Africa’s earlier research base.
