S African, French agencies to cooperate on nuclear development

The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa has signed a cooperation agreement with the French Nuclear Society to foster the advancement of science and technology in the area of nuclear energy, as well as knowledge-sharing between experts from both countries.

The parties stated that the world had to use all low-carbon energy sources, including nuclear energy, if it was to limit climate change, while still meeting development goals, noting that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believed that 80% of electricity needed to be low-carbon at a global level by 2050 to achieve the 2 °C goal.

“Thanks to the long cooperation between France and South Africa, nuclear energy is a low-carbon and efficient industrial solution, that is already available in South Africa. The Koeberg nuclear power plant, operated by Eskom, generates 5% of South Africa’s electricity.

“Since the start of operation in 1984, Koeberg’s reactors avoided the emission of 330-million tons of carbon dioxide, corresponding to about 1.5 years of the total coal consumption in South Africa,” the parties said in a statement.

They further noted that nuclear investment was a growth engine for the regions and countries in which they were constructed. “It directly creates highly skilled employment, far beyond reactor operation and maintenance,” it added.