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Re:South Africa aims to be global supplier of HTR fuel by Synaesthesia on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @11:19AM (#39906744)
South Africa also built its own nuclear power plant. We are capable of doing advanced things, just like anyone else.
Re:South Africa aims to be global supplier of HTR fuel by galaxyofdoom on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @11:22AM (#39906799)
you were capable. now the nation has been looted and a shithole remains. internet comments aside in your heart of hearts you and everyone else knows im right.
Re:South Africa aims to be global supplier of HTR fuel by PaulHoule on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @11:33AM (#39906921)
A nation in that condition can overcome. And what else is worth doing?

The challenge I see isn't that they can't mine uranium and make HTR fuel, but more that there is not much of a market for it at the moment. But the concept is still under development

https://www.modernpowersystems.com/features/featurewhatever-...

and they have a dual reactor powerplant running in China

https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/China-s-demonstratio...

I am a little skeptical about the pebbles because of the problems they had in Germany

https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:39099096

which I'd summarize as "in the helium environment the pebbles experience friction that causes significant fuel damage" China and X-Energy seem to think they can solve it but it is also possible to develop prismatic fuel elements that won't slide past each other but will need disassembling the pile at refueling time.

Re:South Africa aims to be global supplier of HTR fuel by shrubble on Tuesday April 02, 2024 @01:12PM (#39908219)
It was built 1976 to 1984. Given the extensive emigration of educated people since, does SA still retain enough people locally to be able to accomplish similar feats?