South Africa will postpone the procurement process for a new nuclear power station to allow for additional consultation, Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced on Friday.
In December, the government had announced its intention to seek bids for an additional 2,500 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power. However, legal challenges were filed by the then-opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) and two non-governmental organizations to halt the process.
The DA, now part of the coalition government following the African National Congress’s loss of its parliamentary majority in May’s election, had initially opposed the procurement.
In a separate development, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed legislation into law that sets the stage for a competitive electricity market. The Electricity Regulation Amendment Act is part of broader efforts to improve efficiency in South Africa’s power sector, which has suffered from persistent rolling blackouts, though no outages have occurred in over four months.
Minister Ramokgopa acknowledged that more public engagement was needed and decided to withdraw a government gazette document that would have advanced the procurement process. Officials will revise the report based on the energy regulator’s conditions and seek further public input.
Despite the delay, Ramokgopa emphasized that expanding nuclear capacity remains a priority. “Nuclear is part of the future, but it’s crucial that the procurement process withstands scrutiny,” he stated. The procurement process is now expected to be delayed by three to six months.
South Africans remain cautious about nuclear projects following the failed 9,600 MW deal with Russia, which was scrapped in 2017 due to a court challenge. The Koeberg plant, South Africa’s only operational nuclear facility, recently received a 20-year life extension.
