African Mining May 2020 | Page 48

JUWI ACHIEVES RECORD LTI FREE-HOURS ROSATOM HIGHLIGHTS NUCLEAR BENEFITS Russian nuclear entity Rosatom presented a new type of small modular reactor (SMR), and highlighted the use of nuclear technologies for heat and electricity supply, as well as desalination purposes at the recent Africa Energy Indaba that took place in Cape Town, South Africa in March. juwi Renewable Energies are constructing a solar park close to Leeudoringstad in the North West Province of South Africa. juwi Renewable Energies has achieved more than one million Lost Time Incident (LTI) free hours at the construction of the 78MW Bokamoso Solar Park juwi Renewable Energies juwi Renewable Energies Ryan Collyer, acting CEO of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa, highlighted the global shift towards nuclear, not only in the energy sector but in addressing a myriad of other issues. “We are working hard to do our part in delivering the great stories from our industry – to highlight its true potential to become a catalyst for sustainable development in Africa. We all understand that nuclear technologies will play a vital role in achieving the United Nations sustainability goals, not only in Africa, but across the globe,” said Collyer. Collyer’s speech focused on the use of nuclear technologies for heat and electricity supply, as well as desalination purposes. “Rosatom SMRs can be a good alternative to diesel generators, providing reliable power supply and preventing harmful emissions at a competitive price,” said Collyer. Collyer placed special emphasis on Rosatom’s current developments in the field of SMRs. In particular, he presented RITM-200, an advanced pressurised-water reactor that incorporates all the best features from its predecessors. “The main advantages of RITM-200 reactor are cost-efficiency, small size and safety. RITM-200 is designed for nuclear icebreakers, land-based small NPPs, and floating nuclear power plants,” said Collyer. RITM-200 is a reference reactor – Rosatom has already constructed six RITM-200 reactors, and two reactors onboard the Arktika icebreaker have already attained criticality. Collyer also outlined the features of the floating nuclear power plant that was connected to the grid at the end of 2019. At present, Rosatom is working on the next generation of the offshore nuclear power plants – an optimised floating power unit. Before the lockdown juwi Renewable Energies achieved far more than one million Lost Time Incident (LTI) free hours at the construction of the 78MW Bokamoso Solar Park situated near Leeudoringstad in the North West Province of South Africa. “This milestone figure of 1 million LTI free hours translates to 125 000 LTI free days. This is equivalent to 125 people working on a remote site for a period of 1000 days, without incident or harm to anyone. I believe this achievement is unprecedented in the RE space in South Africa,” says Greg Austin, CEO at juwi. An Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) and Operation & Maintenance (O&M) contract was awarded to juwi in respect of the Bokamoso Solar Park pursuant to REIPPP (Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme) Round 4. • “Rosatom is working om the next generation of the offshore nuclear power plant. 46 • African Mining • May 2020 www. africanmining.co.za