South Africa Opens Partner Selection Process for Its First SMR Reactor

South Africa's state-owned South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has launched an Expression of Interest (EOI) to identify technology partners capable of deploying a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) on national soil. The initiative aims to jointly produce electricity, process heat and isotopes. The EOI marks the first stage of a structured process that will lead to a formal Request for Proposals (RFP).

Prequalification Criteria and Selection Framework

According to documents published by Necsa, the EOI will prequalify candidates on five criteria: alignment of reactor design with South Africa's nuclear policy, technology readiness for timely deployment, demonstrated long-term financial strength, commitment to intellectual property transfer, and application diversity to maximise socio-economic benefits. Only candidates meeting these criteria will be invited to the RFP stage. The approach mirrors steps taken by other jurisdictions seeking to structure SMR deployment: New Hampshire recently issued an executive order to assess advanced nuclear reactor deployment.

Necsa CEO Loyiso Tyabashe says the aim is to "gather detailed information on available SMR technologies, their maturity, licensing experience, and deployment readiness." Chairman David Nicholls describes the EOI as a prequalification mechanism based on "alignment with South Africa's nuclear policy, technology readiness and financial strength for long-term delivery." Necsa also intends to "participate in the global SMR supply chain" and contribute to the national nuclear industrialisation plan, according to its chief executive.

A National Plan Targeting 5,200 MW of New Nuclear Capacity by 2039

The initiative is framed by the South African Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), published last October, which outlines plans for 5,200 megawatts (MW) of new nuclear capacity by 2039. The document also envisages a more ambitious scenario reaching 10,000 MW, contingent on the economic viability of re-establishing the domestic nuclear fuel cycle. The IRP includes the development of a Nuclear Industrialisation Plan to map the minimum capacity required to achieve economies of scale across the full fuel cycle value chain.

South Africa targets the demonstration of multipurpose nuclear reactors by 2032 and net zero by 2050. These objectives are set against a broader backdrop: the global nuclear industry awaits decisive milestones from Rooppur to Onkalo in 2026, as several emerging markets revive their nuclear ambitions.

PBMR Revived After Fifteen Years in Care and Maintenance

In parallel, the South African government decided last November to take the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) out of care and maintenance and to transfer the PBMR company from Eskom to Necsa. This small-scale high-temperature reactor uses graphite-coated spherical uranium oxycarbide tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel with helium as coolant. It is capable of supplying both process heat and electricity, based on proven German technology.

South Africa has been developing this programme since 1993, and PBMR Ltd was established in 1999 to develop and commercialise the reactor. The government formally decided in 2010 to cease investment in the project, placing it under care and maintenance. The simultaneous revival of the PBMR and the SMR EOI process reflects Pretoria's strategy to build an integrated domestic nuclear industrial base covering the full value chain.