The NWU will engage students in the nuclear programme of South Africa
What good is an investment in nuclear power and technology to the man in the street? More electricity? Less pollution? Yes, but it doesn’t stop there. Nuclear technology seems like science fiction to a lot of people — it is out there but you cannot get close to it. This is partly what makes it so beautiful: it is a place where mathematics and science can be seen to make a difference. A place where the people who work there need to be trained and skilled, where the employees can make a good living and also provide energy to the country — making a difference.
The nuclear programme that South Africa is embarking on is a long and slow process. The Integrated Resource Plan sets 2023 as the date for the first reactors to be commissioned. The last reactor of 9600MW will be commissioned in 2030. This means that the country needs young people who are excited about science and mathematics. This is because a foreign vendor will probably build the first of the reactors, but the second, the third and all the others will make use of more and more South Africans to build a truly South African nuclear reactor. So now more than ever we need systems to prepare the youth of South Africa to take part in creating a new, energy-abundant future for the country.
To do this, the North-West University (NWU) has pioneered a unique concept to build networks between different universities — the South African Centre of Excellence in Nuclear Education, Science and Technology — to provide students with the best lecturers and specialists in the industry. It will provide access to the best facilities in the country and in some cases students will even visit foreign countries to learn from their experts.
Researchers at NWU are working hard to quantify exactly what the impact of a nuclear programme will be on the socio-economic development of South Africa, and at the same time they are developing ways to improve the safety and the efficiency of the nuclear plants of the future. Nuclear energy has the power to provide an abundance of electricity, stimulating industry to build more factories and provide more jobs. Nuclear energy is the way a country can pick itself up by its own bootstraps, and everyone is invited to join the ride.
Nuclear technology is no longer something far away; it needs to become accessible to everyone who is passionate about making a change, to those who want to improve their own lives and the lives of others. It all starts here at the North-West University.
Dr Anthonie Cilliers is programme manager of nuclear engineering at NWU