Nuke policy shift can win over Trump

Paving the way for big tech companies to own and operate small nuclear reactors (SMRs) in South Africa may open up an attractive African market for American interests and be the key to better relationships with the Trump administration.

- Antoinette Slabbert

This was expressed by Dr Gerard Boyce, an economist and senior lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in an article on the digital platform CounterPunch.

Boyce pointed to the renewed global interest in nuclear power generation, which is considered a clean technology suitable for a world transitioning from fossil fuels. SA is the only African country with nuclear power stations.

However, Russia's nuclear company Rosatom is building four units in Egypt - and Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana are among other African countries moving in the same direction.

Africa highly attractive Africa is seen as a highly attractive market for countries involved in nuclear energy production.

The US has a particular interest in the design and development of small modular reactors, rather than conventional technology like that used at Koeberg.