North African country attracted by SA nuclear reactor technology

Monday, 08 February 2010

PMBR's ground-breaking fuel elements, used in the pebble-bed reactor

The Algerian Atomic Energy Commission (Comena is its acronym in French) has expressed interest in South Africa's pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR) technology.

The PBMR is a fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology, named after the spherical shape of its fuel elements, that is being developed by South Africa's PBMR Company.

"We plan to build 1 000 MW(electrical) of nuclear capacity by 2022 and 2 400 MW(e) by 2027," said Comena chairperson Dr Mohammed Derdour on a visit to the PBMR Company. "Since this power is needed for both electricity generation and desalination, the pebble-bed technology seems to be an extremely attractive option."

Although the country, which is the second-largest in Africa, is a major oil and gas producer, it wants to diversify its energy base and economy away from hydrocarbons. Currently, oil and gas contribute 30% of Algeria's gross domestic product and account for 98% of its export earnings.

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