Techno–economic analysis of nuclear project management in South Africa

Abstract

This research report is a techno-economic analysis of the nuclear project management capacity in South Africa. It will focus on the project development phases of the nuclear expansion programme. The author has nuclear engineering training background and also currently involved in the Eskom new build programme (Medupi & Kusile) and the coal refurbishment projects. The following thinking philosophy is used to structure this research report: * Project management practise for nuclear projects globally * Project management practise for major Eskom projects in South Africa * The differences between South Africa and international project management practises * Guideline for project management in the nuclear environment for possible implementation of the nuclear expansion programme. The project life cycle has different phases, namely, project setup and planning phase, project design and engineering phase, and project execution phase. The first two phases were discussed and analyzed in detail. The project execution phase was also discussed, however, due to the limited time, the execution phase will not be analyzed in detail. Further research is recommended on the execution phase. At the end of this research report, a guideline for nuclear project management is developed and associated with some recommendations. This guideline can certainly assist Eskom or other potential NPP developer to understand all the critical aspects in a nuclear expansion programme.