This is expected to pave the way for shareholders in the PBMR company to commit to construction of a demonstration module. Sources said that the company’s two minority shareholders, BNFL and Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and the South African government, had been waiting for a signal that Eskom remained committed to the project.
The first phase of the project was mainly a desktop phase, which entailed a detailed feasibility study, but also included the successful demonstration of some key concepts, such as the start-up of a test rig of the PBMR power conversion system. The next phase includes development, construction and commissioning of a PBMR demonstration unit.