NEWS |
round up
NOMINATE
APRIL 2026 WILL BE THE 70TH anniversary of the launch of Nuclear Engineering International. As part of our celebrations we’re searching for the most influential individuals who have advanced the industry and we’re asking you to help. Can you think of someone who should be celebrated alongside NEi? Nominate your choice for special recognition by emailing the editor at:
David.Appleyard@
BTMI.com with a few lines on who you have chosen and why they should be recognised.
NEW BUILD SWEDISH STATE-OWNED power utility Vattenfall has signed an agreement with the Industrikraft i Sverige AB consortium for joint investment and collaboration to promote development of new nuclear capacity in Sweden. Industrikraft was formed in June 2024 to support the expansion of the Swedish electricity supply. The agreement allows the parties to progress in enabling new nuclear power on the Värö Peninsula at Ringhals.
BRAZILIAN NUCLEAR UTILITY Eletronuclear has sent to the Ministry of Mines & Energy, the result of an updated study by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development on the economics of completing unit 3 at the Angra NPP. According to the updated study, the cost of abandoning Angra 3 can vary between BRL22bn ($4.1bn) and BRL26bn. This could exceed what is needed to complete the project, estimated at BRL24bn.
RUSSIAN NUCLEAR UTILITY Rosenergoatom has said that the commissioning of unit 1 at the Kursk-II NPP will be postponed until next year. In addition, Rosatom plans to extend the service life of unit 3 of the Kursk NPP beyond 2031. Earlier, Rosatom said it planned to obtain permission to commission unit 1 of the Kursk-II NPP by the end of 2025.
ASSEMBLY OF THE fifth tier of the internal containment shell for unit 1 of the El-Dabaa NPP, under construction in Egypt, has been completed. The fifth tier consists of 12 petal components, which, after the assembly process is completed, form a single ring. The next stage is the assembly of the dome.
THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL Atomic Energy Agency (OAH – Országos Atomenergia Hivatal)) has granted a partial commissioning permit to Paks II the construction of units 5&6, specifically for the soil stabilisation works of unit 5’s nuclear island. Some preparatory work had already taken place at the site.
PBMR lifted from care and maintenance
Above: South Africa’s PBMR is being positioned for potential revival
The South African Government has approved the lifting of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) technology from care and maintenance. “This decision provides the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) with a legal basis to engage with potential international partners and investors for the revival and further development of the project,” Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told a post-Cabinet briefing. South Africa began developing the PBMR in the 1990s, but in 2010, the government ceased funding citing a lack of customers or investors, leading to significant staff reductions and ultimately halting development efforts. PBMR was put into care and maintenance and was reincorporated into state power utility Eskom in 2012.
The pebble bed reactor design was developed in Germany and was used there in the 1970s and 1980s. South Africa became involved in 1988 when Johan Slabber – then with the Atomic Energy Commission (later Necsa) – met with the German pebble bed reactor scientists. The PBMR design was for a small- scale high-temperature reactor (HTR) using graphite-coated spherical uranium oxycarbide tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel, with helium as the coolant, able to supply process heat for industry as well as generating electricity. Slabber was one of the founders of PBMR
(Pty) Ltd in 1993. In 1995, the South African government lent support to the project, and in 2000 approved the detailed feasibility phase. The PBMR project generated more than 100 patents between 1999 and 2004. Eskom committed to purchase a demonstration reactor. Necsa drew up plans to acquire 24 PBMR reactors over the next 20 years to contribute 4000 MWe to the southern African grid. The PBMR Test Reactor was to be built at the Koeberg NPP site north of Cape Town. A large number of domestic and foreign subcontractors became involved. In 2020, Eskom said it wanted to move PBMR out of care and maintenance but this was not achieved at that time. However, all
6 | December 2025 |
www.neimagazine.com
PBMR intellectual property, including designs, specifications, and reactor engineering calculations has been preserved. The company retains ownership of nearly 300 patents. PBMR’s large Helium Test Facility is still operational, and the Fuel Development Laboratory is still fully equipped. PBMR’s management system, which is ISO 9001 and ASME NQA-1 compliant, has also been preserved. Ntshavheni said the decision to remove PBMR
from care and maintenance would also enable Necsa to build on the progress already made and scale the project accordingly. “The long-term plan is for South Africa
to become the leading supplier of small modular reactors (SMRs) to ultimately re-fit decommissioned coal-fired units, and off-grid applications including large power users and smaller grids across Africa,” she added. Electricity & Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho
Ramokgopa argued that the market for SMRs was being spurred by data-centre investments. He stressed, however, that the PBMR decision should not be directly linked to the 5200 MWe allocated to nuclear by 2049 in the recently published Integrated Resource Plan 2025. He acknowledged that South Africa’s decision to mothball the PBMR had resulted in the loss of both time and skills. Necsa CEO Loyiso Tyabashe welcomed the decision to transfer custodianship of the PBMR technology to Necsa. At a briefing hosted by Dr Ramokgopa, he said the immediate focus would be to reactivate the physical assets associated with the PBMR. These included the fuel development laboratory for nuclear fuel qualification and the helium test facility. He added that it would be possible to
reopen the fuel development laboratories to undertake further research and development into the manufacturing and qualification of HTR fuel with a view to building the manufacturing capacity to export the fuel globally. “There is currently only one supplier of HTR fuel, namely China, which may not be enough to meet future global demand,” he noted. Necsa would also be engaging local and
international investors and technology partners for financing and collaboration on the PBMR. Tyabashe underlined government’s fiscal constraints and stressed the need to secure funding through partnerships. Necsa would, therefore, undertake a “vendor identification” process to select a partner to “co-develop and operate South Africa’s first SMR demonstration reactor at Pelindaba”. It was calculated that a further ZAR30bn
($1.75bn) would be required to commercialise the PBMR technology, in addition to the ZAR10bn already spent on its development. ■
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45
