South Africa’s PBMR Looking for Nuclear Waste Solutions

One of the complications that results from building a nuclear energy plant is what to do with the radioactive waste. The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Co. (PBMR) in South Africa is dealing with that problem right now, and PBMR is convinced that a solution will be found. The company is planning to build a demonstration plant on the Western Cape over the next few years and possibly a commercial plant.

PBMR, a state-owned company, plans to begin the construction of the ‘fourth-generation’ demonstration pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR) alongside the existing Koeberg nuclear site in 2010, with fuel to be loaded in 2013, and actual reactor start-up in 2014. The design is modular in nature with each unit able to produce 165 MW of electricity.

PBMR, in collaboration with the University of Pretoria, the European Union, and the Nuclear Energy Corp. of South Africa, has a program in progress currently which is aimed at  ‘deconsolidating’ the waste fuel and ‘extract’ coated particles to be embedded into a synthetic rock.

“If we are successful, then our waste volume per unit of energy would be exactly the same as for current-day reactors…That would also be the final form in which it would be stored in the selected repository,” PBMR said.

The company is also hoping to bring on board new private-sector partners over the next few months as the National Treasury at present is showing signs of funding fatigue. The shareholders include the South African government, the State-owned Industrial Development Corporation, Eskom, and Westinghouse.

Speaking at a function organized by the South African National Energy Association recently, PBMR said that the reactor would create more waste for every megawatt hour produced than a conventional pressurized water reactor at Koeberg. The company, however, did not say exactly how much waste was generated.