South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan must explicitly recognise that nuclear will remain an important element of the country's energy mix, a parliamentary committee has told the country's Department of Energy.
 

Production can resume at NTP Radioisotopes' Pelindaba facilities after receiving the go-ahead from South Africa's National Nuclear Regulator.
 

The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa has said it will make the case for the inclusion of nuclear in the country's energy mix following the release earlier this week of an updated Integrated Resource Policy which sees no increase in nuclear capacity.
 

A draft updated Integrated Resource Plan approved by South Africa's cabinet on 22 August sees the country's nuclear capacity remaining at its current 1830 MWe over the period to 2030. Energy Minister Jeff Radebe yesterday released the plan for public comment.
 

Rusatom Healthcare and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation have signed an agreement to cooperate on non-power applications of nuclear technology, particularly nuclear medicine.

The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa has today called on the country's energy industry and the government to take a long-term view of energy planning and not be distracted by current oversupply. NIASA's comments were in reaction to yesterday's budget speech by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba.

Eskom cannot afford to expand its nuclear power capacity, Calib Cassim, acting CFO of the South African utility, said yesterday. Cassim was speaking to reporters during the release of Eskom's financial results for the six months to 30 September 2017.

The South African Department of Energy has reiterated it will comply with all legal requirements relating to its nuclear procurement programme. It said an urgent court application launched this week seeking to stop the minister or utility Eskom from pursuing the procurement had been based on speculative media reports.

South Africa's energy policy has not and will not change, Energy Minister David Mahlobo told the country's Portfolio Committee on Energy earlier this week. He said energy was an important catalyst and enabler for economic development, and country must ensure it used a diversity of energy resources.

Economics remain the key driver behind South Africa's policy decision to pursue nuclear power, newly appointed energy minister David Mahlobo told a meeting of the Generation IV International Forum. He said the country is still interested in the possible future deployment of Generation IV technology, such as the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, but that it is currently focused on "readily deployable" technologies to meet its electricity needs.

South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs has authorised Eskom's Final Environmental Impact Report for a new nuclear power plant at Duynefontein. The site is next to the existing Koeberg nuclear power station.

Radioisotope producers around the world are working to meet the capacity lost with the end of production by Canada's National Research Universal reactor in 2016. Construction of a new production facility in the USA will help to meet the growing global demand for medical radioisotopes.