Seminar to discuss future prospects of nuclear energy in SA

Minister of Energy and Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, is expected to host the Nuclear Seminar in Tshwane on Thursday. 'The seminar aims to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the current state and future prospects of nuclear energy in South Africa through open, objective and scientifically informed discussions and research endeavours. 'Discussions will focus on surfacing key challenges, facts and opportunities on nuclear energy and technology to gather insights and recommendations for policy refinement and implementation through robust dialogue and collaboration among stakeholders, including government, industry, academia, civil society and key players,' the department said in a statement. On the sidelines of the first Cabinet Lekgotla of the seventh administration earlier this year, Minister Ramokgopa emphasised the long-term need for nuclear energy. 'In the long term, we need to ensure that we anchor the baseload and nuclear is an important part of that intervention. We are working on t he framework for procurement because we don't want to discredit the process through a procurement process that is not transparent. 'We will do it at the scale and speed that we can afford as a country,' he said. Last month, the Ministerial determination for the procurement of some 2 500MW of nuclear energy was withdrawn however, according to Ramokgopa, it remains firmly part of South Africa's energy mix. 'Nuclear is part of the future but it's important that as we go out…the procurement process must be able to stand the test of time. In this instance, it's the ability to be able to subject itself to scrutiny,' Ramokgopa said at the time. Source: South African Government News Agency