Eskom is forging ahead with plans to build renewable energy baseload capacity, including nuclear and battery storage, which will replace the coal-fired power stations in Mpumalanga when they get decommissioned in the years to come.
Bheki Nxumalo, Eskoms group executive for generation, said yesterday the power utility was looking at building small 100MW modular nuclear reactors as part of its build programme at decommissioned coal sites.
Nxumalo said this was part of the ministerial determination for the procurement of 2 500MW of new generation capacity from nuclear, which was announced by the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, in December.
He said Eskom will need some levels of baseload, in addition to the small reactors, before it goes ahead with the decommissioning of the Komati Power Station in a bid to keep the economic activities going.
There is a compact type compared to the bigger reactors. The 100MW is going to be a small reactor. They call it a demonstration plant. So that is what is currently part of the approved programme now, Nxumalo said.
