A number of countries around the world are now waking up to the reality of nuclear power, after years of false anti-nuclear stories scaring their politicians, and the intentional false anti-nuclear propaganda spread by the Rock-Around-the-Rainforest activists.
Since Donald Trump became US president, he has launched a major incentive to build more nuclear. He also fired Christopher Hanson, who was commissioner of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Trump said the US nuclear regulator needed to be a regulatory collaborator, not an opponent. For years, the extreme greens had been infiltrating the NRC.
Meanwhile, the UK, France, Sweden, Japan, and others have all declared accelerated nuclear power programmes. In the EU, even anti-nuclear Germany has said it will not stand in the way of other EU countries going nuclear.
The World Bank has lifted its moratorium on financing nuclear power. But it is not only the larger Western countries which have shown interest in nuclear power. In Africa, we have seen interest from numerous countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Ghana, and Rwanda.
This has surprised many people who imagined nuclear power was only for the large, wealthy countries. It is not. SA was the first country in the world to start developing a commercial Small Modular Reactor (SMR). The country deliberately designed a small nuclear reactor to power industrial operations like a Free State gold mine which is far inland and remote.
Big reactors need lots of water, like an ocean, for cooling the system cycle. So, South Africans designed a small reactor which does not need water for large-scale cooling. Conventional large reactors and the new small reactors are not in competition. They each have a role.
Fortunately, during the past years of international anti-nuclear sentiment, SA has been one country with the courage to maintain a pronuclear stance. A couple of energy ministers had the wisdom to see the future. So, SA is now well-placed to take advantage of our leading position. In Pretoria, the HTMR-100 SMR was developed, and is now poised to become the leading SMR of Africa.
African countries should not place themselves under the thumb of larger Western countries.
People regularly complaining of modern “economic colonialism”, but we cannot blame the so-called “coloniser”. Any country or business will naturally move to benefit itself and to exert its influence. The blame for any modern “economic colonisation” should correctly be placed on the shoulders of the country being “colonised”.
A country must not allow this to happen. Countries must develop the strength to stand alone, and make their own decisions. But to be able to do this, you need to back it up by being able to actually build, fabricate, and operate critical systems.
Africa must go nuclear immediately, there is no other option. So, African countries need to collaborate in introducing SMR technology. By collaboration we can include linking large numbers of reactors together via the Internet of Things. It is possible to store spare parts in different countries which interlink via the internet. Training programmes can be harmonised to produce the correct output.
SA has the HTMR-100 reactor designed in Pretoria. It is ready to build. There's been inquiries from around the world and a number of countries have already visited SA for talks. We are seen as world leaders. So, we need African countries to club together to ensure the security of electricity supply.
African countries need the courage and foresight to see what is possible and grasp the future with both hands while the nuclear opportunity is presenting itself.
- Dr Kemm is a nuclear physicist and business strategist based in Pretoria. He is chairman of Stratek Global (Pty) Ltd, a nuclear project management company.
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