The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) wants to get back into the business of nuclear fuel manufacturing and Necsa CEO Loyiso Tyabashe shares that they want to diversify their radioisotope production and start a pilot Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project.

What excites you the most about conversations on nuclear technologies?

We are currently at a point where I believe realism has started to hit the world in that the world requires a reliable baseload energy for sustainable development of countries.

I’ve seen that the likes of the European Union have spoken about tripling nuclear. I’ve also seen that in Africa, several countries have started to accelerate their activities around their roles in deploying nuclear energy.

I believe South Africa is not excluded from that list in that our Integrated Resources Plan currently does have an allocation for nuclear energy as part of the energy mix.

Can you share any specific success that has made a difference in your field?

If we look at the power side of things, nuclear really has demonstrated that it is reliable, that it is available for more than 80% of the time, it does not emit any greenhouse gases as part of the generation process, as well as the fact that it remains the cheapest source of electricity.

I think that hits exactly the bull’s eye of the energy trilemma that we continue to discuss.

As Necsa, we operate a research nuclear reactor, wherein we also produce the medical isotopes which are important for cancer treatment and detection. Also, we contribute to the body of knowledge in nuclear energy in general.

What is the most important conversation we should be having around nuclear technologies?

Primarily that nuclear is not place-bound. You don’t need to have it at the point where you find the source material, like the uranium. You can really
deploy it anywhere, in distributed transmission lines or on isolated grids.

We also need to be talking about financing of nuclear plants. The perceptions is that financing nuclear plants is difficult, but in essence it is not as complicated as it is made out to be. Typically, vendor countries bring their financing to the tune of about 85% of the capital cost that is needed.

The host county needs a Power Purchase Agreement to guarantee offtake at the end of the construction period.

And that the hosting utility or country can service the loan as the plant is being commissioned, because the payment typically only happens when the plant goes commercial.

Lastly, I believe that the acceptance of nuclear technologies is the conversation we need to continue having with societies.

We currently have more than 400 reactors operating around the globe, with six being built. How are countries benefiting and what are the strides being made in terms of making the technology safer and more affordable going forward?

About Loyiso Tyabashe
Loyiso Tyabashe is Group CEO of NECSA, the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation and a professional engineer with over 20 years of technical and leadership experience in the nuclear industry. A member of the World Nuclear University Alumni Board and KINGS International Advisory Board, he holds a BSc and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from UCT and the Executive Leadership Programme from UCT’s Graduate School of Business. He is a speaker on the panel Building Consensus: Regional Transmission Projects at Enlit Africa on 21 May 2025.