South Africa backs nuclear pledge
South Africa joined 33 countries to make a nonbinding pledge to triple global nuclear capacity by 2050, bringing the signatory count to 34 and reviving international momentum for nuclear as part of decarbonization strategies joined.
The Declaration was launched at COP28 on Dec. 2, 2023, where an initial group of 22 governments committed to an aspirational goal for nuclear expansion. energy.gov Independent assessments put the mid‑century installation target at roughly 1,200 gigawatts of nuclear capacity and note there are about 440 reactors operating worldwide with more than 70 under construction today. advisorperspectives.com South Africa’s new energy plan — the Integrated Resource Plan 2025 — explicitly allocates 5.2 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2039 within a R2.23‑trillion (≈$128 billion) investment roadmap to 2042. gov.za Pretoria has also moved to revive its pebble‑bed modular reactor (PBMR) programme, with cabinet approving the lifting of its care‑and‑maintenance status and transferring PBMR development to NECSA to seek international partners. world-nuclear-news.org Operationally, Koeberg remains central: Eskom says Unit 2 ran 365 consecutive days at an average 99.4% energy‑availability factor while contributing about 946 MW to the grid. eskom.co.za The IRP identifies pre‑approved sites such as Duynefontein and Thyspunt and includes a Nuclear Industrialisation Plan that could examine up to 10 GW of additional capacity, signalling procurement and vendor opportunities for reactor builders and EPC contractors. independent.co.ug Regional uptake has been steady: Rwanda and Senegal joined the declaration at COP30 in November 2025, expanding African participation and underscoring growing industry and finance backing for the initiative. iaea.org
