South Africa is well-equipped to have nuclear power plants and has a nuclear safety culture, with Koeberg having operated safely for over 32 years, utility Eskom said yesterday. The performance of the Koeberg plant has also consistently been one of the strongest within the Eskom fleet, it said, adding that it is also the cheapest energy provider in South Africa's fleet.

The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa (NIASA) has welcomed the announcement of the start date for request for proposal (RFP) for the procurement of new nuclear power plants. It called for localization to be a key factor in the selection of a vendor through a "fair and transparent" procurement process.

South African nuclear operator Eskom has launched a five-year project to train 100 nuclear plant operators to support the country's current and future nuclear needs.

South African utility Eskom has submitted site applications for nuclear installations at Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape and Duynefontein in the Western Cape to the country's National Nuclear Regulator (NNR).

South Africa's Department of Energy has received Cabinet approval to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the country's 9600 MWe nuclear new build program. The final funding model will be informed by the response of the market to the RFP and be submitted to Cabinet thereafter for final approval and implementation.

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has upheld an appeal from Westinghouse against Eskom's 2014 award of a contract for replacement steam generators for the Koeberg nuclear plant to Areva.

Nuclear power is the only source that can provide the baseload electricity that South Africa needs to sustain its long-term economic growth while reducing its carbon emissions, according to a panel of experts from industry, civil society and academia.

 The national nuclear regulators of South Africa and China have signed a bilateral technical cooperation agreement which will see them share information on regulatory activities.

Necsa is ready to support South Africa's nuclear new build program using its existing capacities, the national nuclear corporation's leader has told the country's main parliamentary oversight committee.

South Africa will launch its nuclear power procurement process at end of this month and select a strategic partner or partners by the end of the current financial year, the country's energy ministry announced yesterday.

The South African government intends to begin its nuclear new-build procurement process this month, energy minister Tina Joemat-Petterson has indicated in a response to parliamentary questions.

South Africa will begin the procurement process for a new nuclear power plant in the second quarter of this financial year and expects to have selected its strategic partners by year-end.