South African utility Eskom submitted two nuclear installation site license applications to the country’s nuclear regulator to build new reactors along the east and west coast.
Eskom was designated an owner and operator by the government, which reportedly plans to issue a request for proposals for 9,600 MW of new nuclear capacity by the end of March. According to Reuters, Eskom applied to potentially build reactors in Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape province and Duynefontein in the Western Cape province, according to Bloomberg. The regulator said in the article the Eskom mentioned its intent to build and operate multiple nuclear reactors.
Despite the country’s intention to build six nuclear reactors, the country is dealing with a period of low growth and facing a ratings downgrade to “junk” status that brings into question how it will pay costs estimated between 400 billion rand ($25 billion) and 1 trillion rand ($63 billion), the article said.
