South Africa is advancing plans to expand its nuclear energy capacity, including a new plant near Cape Town and the revival of a modular reactor programme, as part of a broader strategy to secure long-term energy stability, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramakgopa said on Sunday.

The new Duynefontein facility is expected to contribute four gigawatts of nuclear power in its initial phase. In parallel, the government has approved extending the life of the existing Koeberg nuclear station to 2045, ensuring continuity for the country’s only operational nuclear site.

Infrastructure upgrades include reopening a fuel development laboratory and a helium test facility, alongside establishing new nuclear waste storage sites. Ramakgopa indicated that the projects will seek participation from international investors and technology partners to support design and financing.

These developments follow the October cabinet approval of a revised Integrated Resource Plan, which outlines 2.23 trillion rand in energy investment through 2042. Nuclear energy is set to play a growing role in the plan, reflecting efforts to reduce South Africa’s dependence on coal-fired generation.

The revival also extends to the modular pebble-bed reactor concept, originally launched by state-owned utility Eskom in 1999. The project, which was paused in 2010 after nearly 1 billion US dollars of development, had been viewed as a potential source of export revenue.