Post #590345
2026-01-18 21:37 UTC
@khm @donray
South Africa is an important producer of uranium, which is recovered from gold-mine tailings. In fact South Africa supplied a substantial amount of the uranium required for the Manhattan Project, and for US nuclear activities of all kinds for years afterwards.
South Africa also had an early interest in nuclear power, because of the long distance between its major coalfields and the large industrial and population centers of the Cape Town and East Cape regions.
Replies (1)
-
@donray@mastodon.online 2026-01-18 22:33
@publius @khm I was surprised to learn that the US company Allis Chalmers (the company that built my little 1956 tractor) supplied the first nuclear reactor in South Africa. I knew they built a lot of stuff, but I didn’t know about reactors. https://theweekendhistorian.com/2016/05/01/allis-chalmers-greendale-research-facility/