Site Confirmed For Small Nuclear Power Station In Gauteng

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16-07-2025
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2 Oceans Vibe News
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Nuclear technology developer Stratek Global has secured a deal with the directors of Zilkaats Estate for a 2,000-hectare site along the Gauteng and North West border to build a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR), the first of its kind in the country.

The site –  roughly the same size as the Pelindaba nuclear facility near Hartbeespoort Dam – already had the necessary roads and services, as well as a residential section, a light industrial area, and an airfield.

Stratek ’s co-founder, Olivia Vaughan, told Business Times that the idea of becoming a world centre for modern nuclear reactor construction appealed to the Zilkaats Estate. She said that Stratek was still developing a detailed design for its SMR to establish the plant’s practical operation, but she did not expect approval to take long once it was finalised.

“We have one of the oldest nuclear regulators in the world, which is internationally recognised as being very competent,” Vaughan said. “We do not envisage any problems in working through the various steps together with them.”

Mybroadband reports that Stratek previously entered into an agreement with Koya Capital to raise R9 billion to build the country’s first high-temperature modular reactor (HTMR-100) by 2029. The HTMR-100 can supply up to 35MW of power without requiring a large body of water for cooling, enabling deployment in many parts of South Africa.

The reactors can be grouped individually, in pairs, fours, or larger collections, depending on power requirements.

Another SMR company that has expressed interest in building plants in South Africa is US-based X-Energy, where two former Eskom engineers are involved.

South Africa was once a leader in small modular reactor (SMR) development, with Eskom spending eleven years working on the pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR). But in 2010, the government pulled the plug on the project after investing R9 billion without producing a single demonstration plant.

While SMR development has continued in other countries, the technology still needs to prove it can deliver on its technical and financial promises. Energy experts Chris Yelland and Clyde Mallinson are not convinced it our best option at the moment..

“There’s a lot of talk about technologies such as SMR, but the reality is that right now they are not commercially available and not licensed,” Yelland previously said. “We don’t know the prices of these technologies, so there’s still some way to go, maybe a decade or 15 years before these become an option for South Africa.”

Mallinson pointed out that SMRs have been used in nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers for four decades or more.

“If we’ve had access to small modular reactors in the military, how come they haven’t popped up in the commercial world?” said Mallinson. “The answer is very simple: they’re too expensive.”

However, the World Bank’s decision in June 2025 to lift its 66-year ban on financing nuclear energy could give the technology a much-needed boost.

According to Deputy Electricity and Energy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré, there were currently 61 nuclear power plants being built throughout the world, so it may be an answer to some of our energy woes.