The Pelindaba nuclear research centre in South Africa. Courtesy Necsa/Facebook. The South African cabinet has approved the construction of a multipurpose reactor to replace the Safari-1 research reactor at the Pelindaba nuclear research centre west of Pretoria.

Safari-1’s operator, the state entity the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), said the cabinet approval allows the lead-time needed to ensure radioisotope production is not interrupted.

The 20 MW (thermal) Safari-1 has been in operation since 1965 and is scheduled to retire in 2030. The reactor is operated by Necsa with isotope production through Necsa’s wholly-owned NTP Radioistopes subsidiary.

Safari-1 is one of the four leading producers of medical radioisotopes in the world. The radioisotopes are used to treat millions of patients annually, the cabinet noted. The reactor also provides support for scientific research, development and innovation in medicine, agriculture, palaeontology and bioscience.

“The replacement will ensure South Africa remains one of the leading countries in these fields and benefit from the new technologies in this environment,” a cabinet statement said.