FROM THE SAIEE PRESIDENT'S DESK

2 June 2025 | Developments in the energy space

The announcement by the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Ramokgopa, on the revival of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) should create considerable excitement among scientists and engineers. The PBMR was being developed in South Africa in the 1990s, when it was eventually shelved around 2009. This creates an opportunity to establish new research in this space, considering many of the former engineers may no longer be actively involved in engineering or may have emigrated. SAIEE must explore opportunities to contribute to this revival in an environmentally responsible manner.

The Presidential visit to the University of Cape Town has already started to yield some results, with the university indicating interest in renewing the SAIEE-IEEE Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU will be of benefit to both SAIEE and the university. Similar discussions will take place with other tertiary institutions during the upcoming visits.

The week ahead includes a visit to the Gauteng Centre for a conversation with captains of industry and academia.

Veer N. Ramnarain Pr Eng
SAIEE President
president@saiee.org.za