• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Archives

Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

PBMR Update – 7 April 2006

April 7, 2006 By Rod Adams

The South African Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) remains on track to begin construction in September of 2007. According to Tom Ferreira, the project communications manager, the first plant should be operational by 2010.

A large portion of the construction and component development is being contracted to local South African firms in an effort to ensure that the project, which has received support from the South African government for more than a decade, contributes to job creation and overall economic development.

The current plans call for the construction of approximately 30 PBMR plants in South Africa for a total capacity of just under 5,000 MWe with the possibility of exporting as many as 10 plants per year to other similar markets.

As has been the case since the project started, one of the prime motivators for the PBMR project is the fact that South Africa’s coal resources are not uniformly distributed. There are substantial population centers that are located thousands of miles from the “mine-mouth” coal fired electrical power stations that currently supply 90% of the country’s electrical power.

Modular nuclear reactors that can be placed near populated areas provides a capability that eliminates the need to either move coal over long distances or to send electricity over long transmission lines that are costly to construct and that waste as much as 20% of the generated electricity.

During the dozen or more years since the project’s conception, the value of low cost, reliable fuel sources, lack of atmospheric pollution and independence from fossil fuels has increased, making the PBMR project seem even more logical and well conceived.

For more information – I recommend reading Building of new-generation nuclear plant to get under way in September 2007

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital, a venture fund that invests in advanced nuclear, which provides affordable access to this clean energy sector to pronuclear and impact investors. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., which was one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. He has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology, regulation, and policies for several decades through Atomic Insights, both as its primary blogger and as host of The Atomic Show Podcast. Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed. To join Rod's pronuclear network and receive his occasional newsletter, click here.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

Join Rod’s pronuclear network

Join Rod's pronuclear network by completing this form. Let us know what your specific interests are.

Recent Comments

  • Rod Adams on Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin
  • Michael Scarangella on Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin
  • Rod Adams on “The Martian’s” RTG science includes jarring errors
  • Gareth on “The Martian’s” RTG science includes jarring errors
  • Rod Adams on “The Martian’s” RTG science includes jarring errors

Follow Atomic Insights

The Atomic Show

Atomic Insights

Recent Posts

Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin

Atomic Energy Wells

Enough with “renewables!”

Can prototype nuclear reactors be licensed in the US under current rules?

Atomic Show #303 – Bret Kugelmass, CEO Last Energy

  • Home
  • About Atomic Insights
  • Atomic Show
  • Contact
  • Links

Search Atomic Insights

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Atomic Insights

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy