Areva Backs South Africa’s Nuclear Ambitions

Nuclear energy could help South Africa battle its ongoing energy crisis and the country is being aided by France in making nuclear-powered energy a reality. French nuclear firm Areva and the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) signed an agreement that would see Areva’s support for engineering and nuclear skills development extended and increased.

"Arecsa Human Capital, a joint venture between Areva and Necsa, will increase training in technology and energy of disadvantaged South Africans, underlining the company’s commitment to government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa)," the French firm said in a statement.

The two companies also plan to train workers through the Necsa Artisan Training Center and a technical training center, which reopened this year to address the needs of the broader nuclear industry. The ventures are part of an initiative by Areva aimed at bridging the gap in skills for the nuclear power industry. Areva says they are a necessary step in building and maintaining South Africa‘s nuclear program. The skills development initiatives include the project leaders program that has already trained skilled South African engineers at the Sorbonne and Areva University, and will be extended for a further five years, with more engineers benefiting from the training.

"Skills are critical if South Africa‘s nuclear industry is to succeed. Today, we have extended our support to Jipsa, and made another strong commitment to this vital area of the South African government’s economic policy," Areva CEO Anne Lauvergeon said.

Also, in partnership with the North West University (NWU), Areva plans to initiate a project management training course at the university this year. The training would target local nuclear industry executives and NWU postgraduate students registered for nuclear engineering.