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Cape Town – Eskom on Thursday launched a key programme aimed at preparing itself for the 9.6 GW nuclear build programme.
The Eskom Nuclear Operator Pipeline project at Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Town is part of the state power utility’s plans to beef up local nuclear resources to support the country’s needs.
On May 1 2016, about 100 young recruits started the flagship nuclear operator training programme.
“Eskom’s Nuclear Project 100 will provide a platform for developing a robust nuclear operator pipeline for South Africa,” Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said at the launch of the project on Thursday.
Absent at the launch was Eskom CEO Brian Molefe.
The pro nuclear chief executive is also enhancing his nuclear energy education and has embarked on a three-week nuclear reactor technology course for utility executives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.
MIT offers the course by invitation to executives with a non-nuclear background to learn the fundamentals of nuclear technology and how critical safety functions work. He will return to South Africa at the end of July.
Back at Koeberg, Brown said the five-year nuclear operators programme aims to build a path to ensure that there are sufficient local nuclear resources to service the country’s present and future nuclear needs.
“After the five-year period, trainees will qualify as nuclear plant operators or will enter related career equivalents.
“What is inspiring is that approximately 95% of students are 35 years and younger, and about 40% are black females from various parts of the country,” said Brown.
Eskom chairperson Dr Baldwin Ngubane said the new nuclear build will require additional resources for operations.
“The nuclear operator training programme is geared towards ensuring that the South African youth who has aspirations to access a career path in nuclear has a chance at realising his or her dreams,” he said.
The 100 qualified young artisans will be exposed to world-class nuclear training in the Western Cape for a period of five years before qualifying as nuclear plant operators or a related career equivalent.
Koeberg is the only nuclear power station outside the United States of America whose training programme is accredited with the US National Academy of Nuclear Training, ensuring that the training programme is of the highest standard.
As the only nuclear power station in Africa, the licensed reactor operators that operate the Koeberg reactors hold a scarce skill.
This intake of 100 young people will be trained up and provide a platform for developing a robust nuclear operator pipeline for Koeberg, Eskom and South Africa, Eskom explained.
Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown with the nuclear operator trainees. (Photo: Eskom)
