|
You, your colleagues, friends and all interested persons are cordially invited to attend a live online webinar, entitled:
New nuclear power in South Africa – business case, technical need, safety, risk, flexibility and decarbonisation considerations.
Date: Thursday 12 November 2026
Time: 14h00 to 16h30 SA Time (GMT+2)
Platform: Zoom Webinar 1000.
Cost: Free-of-charge, all welcome.
Hosted by: EE Business Intelligence
In association with: Department of Electricity & Energy, SANEDI, Stellenbosch University, Meridian Economics, Earthlife Africa and SAFCEI.
Register to attend the webinar here
Presenters
-
Opening address: Prof. Mark Swilling, Professor of Sustainable Development, Stellenbosch University.
-
Presenter 1: Zizamele Mbambo, DDG: Nuclear Energy, Regulation & Management, Department of Electricity & Energy.
-
Presenter 2: Dr. Grove Steyn, Managing Director, Meridian Economics.
-
Presenter 3: Prudence Madiba, CEO, South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI).
-
Presenter 4: Makoma Lekalakala, Director, Earthlife Africa.
-
Wrap-up: Dr. Rob Adam, Independent Strategy and Technology Consultant.
Synopsis
South Africa is again confronting one of the most consequential choices in its future electricity mix: what role, if any, should new nuclear power play in meeting the country’s long-term needs for secure, affordable and progressively lower-carbon electricity?
With Koeberg’s operating life being extended and government, and Eskom considering about 5200 MW of new nuclear capacity by 2042, the debate is moving beyond whether nuclear power should remain part of South Africa’s energy landscape to the much harder questions of how much, when, where, at what cost, under what commercial model – and for what system need.
This EE Business Intelligence webinar will bring together a diverse panel of leading experts to interrogate the case for new nuclear power from technical, economic, financial, environmental and societal perspectives.
What would a credible business case for new nuclear need to demonstrate when capital cost, financing, construction risk, exchange rates, grid connection, decommissioning and the cost of alternative technologies are properly taken into account? Does a future South African power system dominated increasingly by variable wind and solar require additional blocks of steady, inflexible baseload generation, or greater quantities of flexible generation, storage and demand-side resources?
The webinar will also examine nuclear safety and risk, and the distinction between probability and consequence; radioactive waste and spent-fuel management; water use and environmental impacts; energy security and localisation; and nuclear power’s potential contribution to decarbonisation.
Against a backdrop of profound uncertainty in future electricity demand, coal-plant retirements, gas availability, technology costs and the pace of renewable-energy and battery deployment, the discussion will ask a critical planning question: how should South Africa make robust, least-regret investment decisions today for an electricity system that may look very different by 2040?
The objective is not to advocate a predetermined position, but to expose the assumptions, trade-offs, risks and opportunities – and enable a rigorous, informed debate on South Africa’s nuclear choices.
Format
This will be a 2½ hour online engagement conducted on the Zoom Webinar 1000 platform, which can accommodate up to 1000 concurrent participants/attendees. There will be a 10-minute opening address, followed by four expert presentations, and then a 10-minute wrap-up with key takeaways and insights. Thereafter there will be a 30-minute open discussion and Q&A session before closure.
Programme
- 14h00 – 14h05: Welcome: Chris Yelland, EE Business Intelligence.
- 14h05 – 14h15: Opening address: Prof. Mark Swilling, University of Stellenbosch.
- 14h15 – 14h35: Presenter 1: Zizamele Mbambo, Department of Electricity & Energy.
- 14h35 – 14h55: Presenter 2: Makoma Lekalakala, Earthlife Africa.
- 14h55 – 15h05: Comfort break.
- 15h05 – 15h25: Presenter 3: Prudence Madiba, SANEDI.
- 15h25 – 15h45: Presenter 4: Dr. Grove Steyn, Managing Director, Meridian Economics.
- 15h45 – 15h55: Wrap-up: Dr. Rob Adam, Independent Strategy & Technology Consultant.
- 15h55 – 16h25: Open discussion and Q&A session: Moderated by Chris Yelland.
- 16h25 – 16h30: Closure: Chris Yelland.
Who should attend
- Policy makers, government officials, regulators and standards bodies.
- Leaders and decision makers in industry, business and manufacturing.
- Electricity utilities, power generation and transmission companies.
- Financial institutions, commercial banks, investment funds and financiers.
- Nuclear, technology, business and other relevant industry associations.
- Nuclear industry vendor companies, technology providers, systems integrators and developers.
- Nuclear industry consultants, EPCs, construction companies and contractors.
- Civil society NGOs, environmentalists and consumer associations.
- Professional institutions and nuclear industry training providers.
- Nuclear industry scientists and engineers.
- Universities, academia and researchers.
Register to attend the webinar here
|
