Steenkampskraal Thorium has taken steps to commercialise thorium, a radioactive metal that it claims is cleaner than uranium as a nuclear fuel source.
SOUTH African company Steenkampskraal Thorium has taken steps to commercialise thorium, a radioactive metal that was cleaner than uranium as a nuclear fuel source, company representatives said yesterday.
Steenkampskraal Thorium chairman Trevor Blench and director Eben Mulder touted thorium as cleaner and more efficient alternative to uranium. Various companies in the nuclear value chain are positioning themselves for the growth in the local nuclear industry as SA prepares for the roll-out of the nuclear programme. Mr Blench said thorium would be an important part of SA’s nuclear future.
Mr Mulder said there were about 4000 tons of confirmed thorium in SA. The thorium is at the Steenkampskraal mine in the Western Cape. Mr Blench said the company had completed the concept design of the TH-100, which is a thorium-fuelled pebble-bed reactor.
According to Steenkampskraal Thorium, a TH-100 power plant can be used for electricity generation using a standard steam turbine generator. The company said the basic design of the TH-100 generator would cost about £10m.
Mr Blench said the company would consider building a €250m demonstration reactor. Outlining plans at the conference, Mr Blench said production of about 500 tons of thorium could start next year.
The company would eventually seek a stock-exchange listing and become the first listed entity in the world whose business is to commercialise thorium.
The integrated resource plan for electricity (IRP2010) makes provision for 9600MW of new nuclear capacity by 2030.
Itumeleng Mosala, regional vice-president of nuclear technology company Westinghouse, said the group was in talks with potential partners in preparation for the nuclear programme but that it had not signed any deal.
"At this point, it is too early. (We) don’t know if the process has moved far enough to make it wise for us to find partners," Mr Mosala said. Westinghouse is one of a number of major energy companies eyeing the nuclear mega tender, estimated to cost at least R300bn.
In a speech read by the Department of Energy chief director for nuclear Ditebogo Kgomo, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said shale gas and nuclear energy were complementary technologies. "In my view, these are not competing energy technologies, but complementary ones. Even if extraction of shale gas is found to be technically and economically viable in SA, and I hope that it will be, we need to use it for what it is most efficient," she said.
"Thirdly, our capability of gas-to-liquids conversion at Sasol coupled with vast shale gas (deposits) could significantly reduce our dependence on oil imports, strengthening security of supply of liquid fuels," Ms Peters said.