Nuclear Emergency Preparedness in Africa: Regulators Observe a Full-Scale Exercise in Cape Town

From 19 to 23 October 2026, the National Nuclear Regulator of South Africa (NNR) hosted a week-long workshop on inspections and monitoring in emergency preparedness and response (EPR) in Cape Town. The event brought together ASNR and European experts (SURO, GRS and CSN) with representatives from Egypt (ENRRA), Ghana (NRA), Kenya (KNRA), Morocco (AMSSNuR), Nigeria (NNRA) and South Africa (NNR and SAHPRA), as part of the INSC project Strengthening Nuclear Safety Regulatory Capacity in Africa.

The project is funded by the European Commission under the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) and managed by Expertise France, for the benefit of these six African regulatory authorities. Within it, Task 7.1, coordinated by ASNR, focuses on emergency preparedness and response: it aims to strengthen these authorities' capacities both in their oversight of licensees (regulations, inspections, evaluation of exercises) and in their own response arrangements.

Observation of the Koeberg full-scale exercise

The week opened with the observation of a full-scale emergency exercise at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, the only operating nuclear power plant in Africa. Over two days, participants were deployed in small groups at different exercise locations and followed in real time how the operator, the regulator and emergency response organizations coordinate during a simulated nuclear accident. All participants then joined the debriefing led by the NNR.

Inspections, monitoring and tabletop exercise

The following days focused on radiation monitoring, with presentations from the NNR, the African participants and European experts, and on EPR inspections. Reference guides from ASNR, CSN, SURO/SUJB and GRS were presented, and each country shared its current inspection procedures and remaining gaps. A tabletop exercise, built on the Koeberg scenario, gave participants the opportunity to put these elements into practice. ASNR experts Olivier Isnard, Maxime Klein and Stéphane Defour contributed throughout the week.

This was the third Task 7.1 workshop in 2026, after Cairo in April and Fontenay-aux-Roses in June. Further workshops, inspections and exercises are planned through 2028, starting with a workshop on radiation monitoring in Le Vésinet, France, in January 2027.