Cape Town – China is rapidly expanding its energy diplomacy in Africa, and nuclear cooperation is emerging as the basis for a broader strategic agenda.
Earlier this month, on April 8, 2025, South Africa's Nuclear Energy Corporation signed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China's National Nuclear Energy Corporation (CNNC) during its official visit to China led by South Africa's Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.
The agreement aims to revive South Africa's nuclear fuel cycle, accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors, and promote collaboration of advanced fuels such as high assay low-enriched uranium.
With strong government support for nuclear power, limited domestic funding is needed, South Africa is seeking international partners to inject capital and technology while maintaining national ownership.
Minister Ramokgopa's visit to China also aimed at finding solutions to South Africa's energy anxiety and load control.
The core of this initiative is the proposed life extension for the Pelindaba Nuclear Research Center Safari-1 reactor, scheduled to retire in 2030.
Plans for the new multipurpose reactor are already underway at R1.2 billion ($63.6 million) with allocated seed funds, but further investment is needed to advance the project.
This highlights the key role of sustainable nuclear investment in ensuring South Africa's long-term energy resilience and reducing dependence on aging infrastructure.
Enlarge China's footprint
China's ambitions in the African nuclear sector exceed South Africa. At the 2024 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in Beijing, China launched the China-Africa Forum on the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Technology as part of its 2025-2027 Beijing Action Plan.
The move has strengthened China's long-term goal of becoming Africa's leading nuclear energy partner. With 53 of the 54 African countries, including 51 heads of states, represented by Focac, the event highlighted Beijing's use of nuclear energy to promote the nuclear agenda, provide a powerful platform to expand its diplomatic and technical scope, and Africa is using nuclear energy to meet growing electricity needs.
For Africa, nuclear power presents a unique opportunity to address the continent's urgent energy access gap while advancing long-term sustainability.
Nuclear power provides baseload electricity with zero carbon emissions and is suitable to complement intermittent renewable energy such as solar and wind.
In particular, small modular reactors are considered viable solutions for remote or off-grid areas due to their scalability, small footprint and enhanced safety features.
Due to growing populations and growing industrial demand, several African countries view nuclear power as a low-carbon, scalable pathway to energy security and broader socioeconomic development.
Nuclear expansion throughout Africa
Currently, Africa's nuclear development is concentrated in six countries: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Of these, four have recently signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with China.
In September 2024, Nigeria had a high-level discussion with China about peaceful nuclear energy cooperation, from research and training to construction and plant decommissioning.
Earlier that year, Nigeria had signed a CNNC and MOU by the 2030s, aimed at operating nuclear power plants.
Following the agreement to deploy China's Halong One Reactor, Kenya continues to pursue a long-standing 2015 agreement with China to develop a 1,000 MW plant by 2034.
The International Atomic Energy Agency forecasts nuclear energy usage in Africa to increase by 58% by 2030, a 10-fold increase by 2050.
With more than 600 million people lacking power access on the continent, China's nuclear partnership is now filling key power gaps while supporting the goals of shared decarbonization.
Against this backdrop, African Energy Week (AEW) 2025: African Energy Investment serves as a vital platform for advancing nuclear energy cooperation between Africa, China and other global partners.
Based on existing partnerships and recent Mous, AEW will promote high-level discussions on technology transfer, investment frameworks and regulatory preparations to accelerate nuclear deployment in key African markets.
These conversations align the nation's nuclear ambitions with China's global expertise and ensure that energy security, sustainability and sovereignty are at the heart of future cooperation.
AEW: Investing in African Energy is the perfect platform for project operators, investors, technology providers and governments, and has emerged as the official site for signing African energy trades.
For more information about this exciting event, visit www.aecweek.com.
