The collapse of a major nuclear energy project in South Africa in 2010 saw thousands of specialists leave the country. Many went to the UAE, while others joined US-based startups like X-energy. The country had poured more than 9 billion rand ($550 million) into the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor, which briefly made South Africa one of the global centers for advanced nuclear engineering before the project was shelved due to delays and rising costs.

South Africa’s earlier attempt to scale up nuclear power was also stymied because of growing concerns over corruption. Under former President Jacob Zuma’s administration, a 9,600 MW plan tied to Russia’s Rosatom was struck down by the courts for bypassing parliamentary oversight.

The new push to expand nuclear skills is unfolding just as South Africa’s nuclear program enters a more concrete phase on the ground: Eskom recently wrapped up a fresh round of public hearings in the Eastern Cape as part of the environmental impact scoping process for the Thyspunt site — a remote stretch of South Africa’s southern coastline.

Residents in nearby towns packed into community halls last week as consultants presented the project scope, which lays out Pretoria’s option to build the 5,200 MW plant through either traditional reactors or a fleet of small modular reactors (SMRs) that are faster to build. Earlier this year, the state-owned nuclear corporation, NECSA, launched an international search for SMR development partners.

The draft report setting out what will be scrutinized in the environmental impact assessment estimates that the construction phase at Thyspunt could create more than 10,000 jobs, drawing engineers, welders, and project managers into an undeveloped landscape of dunes, wetlands, and rough Atlantic surf.

Residents raised concerns about fishing grounds, heritage sites, dune systems, and the impact of thousands of workers arriving in small towns, a sign that public resistance could slow the project.

Thyspunt is not the only site in play. Another site at Duynefontein, near the existing Koeberg plant outside Cape Town, was already granted environmental authorization and is further along in the site licensing process. But it is now facing a fresh court challenge from environmental groups, who argue that the authorization is unlawful and based on outdated planning data.