Necsa

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) develops and utilises nuclear technology as part of the National System of Innovation (NSI). Necsa was established as a public company in terms of the Nuclear Energy Act, 1999 and is wholly-owned by the State. Apart from several ancillary functions, the main functions of Necsa are to undertake and promote research and development (R&D) in the field of nuclear energy and radiation sciences and technology; to process source material, special nuclear material and restricted material; and to co-operate with persons in matters falling within these functions. Apart from its main operations at Pelindaba, Necsa also operates the Vaalputs radioactive waste-disposal facility.

Some of the activities of Necsa are:

• Reactor operations and services through the 1965-commissioned SAFARI-1, a pool-type 20 MW Materials Test Reactor (MTR)
• Production of isotope and other reactor products
• Nuclear Fuel cycle front and back end services
• Decommissioning and waste management
• Radiation services
• Processing of fluorochemicals (hydrogen fluoride and fluorine products)
• Consultancy in nuclear-related aspects

The PBMR Company

PBMR (Pty) Ltd, the PBMR Company, in partnership with Eskom and other companies, is developing the PBMR technology.
The PBMR is fueled and moderated by fuel spheres each containing TRISO coated oxide fuel grains that are imbedded in a graphite moderator. These spheres are stacked in the reactor to produce heat that is removed by helium, which is used to drive a turbine directly, or may be used to provide process heat for production applications.
The PBMR is modular in that only small to mid-sized units will be designed; larger power stations will be built by combining many of these modules. As of 2007 400MWt was emerging as an optimum module size, considerably larger than the original concept size.
Construction of a prototype single-unit demonstration reactor at Koeberg NPS is scheduled to start in 2010, with fuel loading in 2013 with fuel supplied by a pilot fuel plant to be built at Pelindaba. The first commercial units could start construction in 2016.

Eskom

Eskom is a South African electricity public utility, established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM) by the government of South Africa in terms of the Electricity Act (1922). It was also known by its Afrikaans name Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie (EVKOM). The two acronyms were combined in 1986 and the company is now known as Eskom.

Source: Eskom, www.Eskom.co.za/live/content.php?Item_ID=4673, 30 April 2008
Note: Nuclear constitutes 1930MW of installed electricity capacity (this is less than 1% of total capacity)
Figure 1 Eskom Power Stations

The utility is the largest producer of electricity in Africa, is among the top seven utilities in the world in terms of generation capacity and among the top nine in terms of sales. Eskom operates, amongst other types of power stations, Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (NPS) in the Western Cape Province, the only nuclear power plant (NPP) in Africa. As Figure 1 shows, Koeberg NPS (nuclear energy) accounts for 1930 MW of electricity on the grid (less than 6% in the energy mix). Construction of the plant began in 1976, and Unit 1 was synchronised to the grid on 4 April 1984. Unit 2 followed on 25 July 1985.

iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator–based Sciences (LABS)

iThemba LABS is a national research facility working within the NSI.  iThemba LABS is one of a group of multi-disciplinary research laboratories administered by the National Research Foundation (NRF) and comprises facilities that are based at two sites in Western Cape and Gauteng Provinces. iThemba LABS undertakes:

• Basic and applied research using particle beams
• Particle radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer
• The supply of accelerator-produced radioactive isotopes for nuclear medicine and research

Activities are based around a number of sub-atomic particle accelerators. The largest of these, a k-200 separated sector cyclotron, accelerates protons to energies of 200MeV, and heavier particles to much higher energies. Smaller accelerators at the Western Cape site are two injector cyclotrons, one providing intense beams of light ions, and the other, beams of polarized light ions or heavy ions, and a 6MV Van de Graaff electrostatic accelerator. Accelerators at the Gauteng site include a 6MV tandem Van de Graaff electrostatic accelerator and two low energy electrostatic accelerators for ion implantation and other surface science studies. iThemba LABS brings together scientists working in the physical, medical and biological sciences. The facilities provide opportunities for modern research, advanced education, the treatment of cancers, and the production of unique radioisotopes.