Summit hears Pretoria company's small nuclear reactor offers independence

The Citizen

20-06-2025

As South African cities confront load-shedding and economic stagnation, the search for energy independence has never been more urgent.
For the Tshwane metro and other municipalities, a new option has emerged in the form of a locally developed small modular reactor, designed by Pretoria engineers, that promises to change how cities generate and control their electricity.
This option was recently discussed and caught a lot of attention at the Energy Summit 2025 held at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The summit aimed to build a smarter energy system focused on powering a sustainable and inclusive future.
It drew all stakeholders grappling with growing energy demands and pressure to transition towards clean, reliable energy sources, where Tshwane's energy future was the main theme.
Developed by Pretoria-based company Stratek Global, the reactor offers a combination of safety, cost-efficiency, and energy security, making it an ideal fit for municipal deployment.
Rekord spoke to a nuclear physicist and Stratek chairperson from Pretoria east, Dr Kelvin Kemm. He is confident that it can help municipalities.
'The reactor is designed specifically to be deployable at the municipal level. With this system, a municipality like Tshwane can own and operate its own nuclear power facility, independent of Eskom and free of geographic limitations.'
He told Rekord that it is ideal for the metro, as unlike large-scale nuclear power plants, which require vast infrastructure and access to significant water sources, the reactor is self-contained and highly adaptable.
He explained that gravity, natural cooling paths, and other physics functions have been used in design such that safety devices will fall into place naturally, under gravity, as cooling paths exist without active pumps running.
When it comes to whether the metro would be able to use such a reactor if interested parties decide to commission the construction, he said, once the teams start building, it will take about five years to build the first reactor.
'This first one will take a year to 18 months for all the legal compliance, testing, and certification. From the second one onwards, construction will go faster.'
He explained that the costs for such a reactor should be measured by how much the electricity will cost the customer.
'The electricity from the reactor will cost about the same as coal-fired electricity now. It is completely untrue that nuclear electricity will cost a huge amount,' stressed Kemm.
He said there are huge economic benefits for the metro.
During construction, hundreds of people will be employed in good-quality jobs, like any industrial construction.
Construction materials will also be purchased from local suppliers. Tasks like forming metal parts, cutting, machining and high-integrity welding, and so on, all need to be performed and sourced.
'When the reactor is running, it will employ a couple of hundred people on a full-time basis. These range from engineers to skilled technicians to react to operators to draft craftsmen, such as plumbers and electricians. Many private companies will be involved, supplying goods and services on a regular basis.'
According to Kemm, a representative from their Pretoria branch has twice travelled to a country in the Middle East to explain their proposal and architectural designs were carried out for that country, by Pretoria east architects JKDA.
To him, it is a positive factor that South Africa has one of the oldest and most experienced nuclear regulators in the world.
He said Stratek Global has an impressive building in Centurion, and there is a staff of some 150 people. 'They check and certify all issues concerning the design and construction of any nuclear system, to ensure the safety and protection of people and the environment.'
He added that the principle of private or municipal ownership of electricity has already been established by the government for wind and solar systems.
'There is no reason why nuclear will be different. So, the metro, or groups of companies in Rosslyn, could install their own nuclear power. One reactor complex will fit easily on a piece of land the size of a football field. Such ownership is perfectly feasible. In fact, it is possible to have your own private grid,' he concluded.
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