To provide for the establishment of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation Limited, a public company wholly owned by the State (the "Corporation"), to define the Corporation’s functions and powers and its financial and operational accountability, and provide for its governance and management by a board of directors and a chief executive officer; to provide for responsibilities for the implementation and application of the Safeguards Agreement and any additional protocols entered into by the Republic and the International Atomic Energy Agency in support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty acceded to by the Republic; to regulate the acquisition and possession of nuclear fuel, certain nuclear and related material and certain related equipment, as well as the importation and exportation of, and certain other acts and activities relating to, that fuel, material and equipment in order to comply with the international obligations of the Republic; to prescribe measures regarding the discarding of radioactive waste and the storage of irradiated nuclear fuel; and to provide for incidental matters.

Latest Developments:

The Nuclear Energy Act, 1999 (Act No. 46 of 1999), has been updated with Amendments to Notice No. 207 of 2009 – Repeal of Schedule 1 and substitution of Schedule 2 of the Declaration of certain substances, materials and equipment as restricted material, source material, special nuclear material and nuclear related equipment and material, as per Notice No. R. 5474 of GG51432, dated 25 October 2024.

The Nuclear Energy Act, 1999 (Act No. 46 of 1999), has been updated with Amendments to Schedule 4, paragraph 2 of Category A of the Declaration under Notice No. 207 of February 2009: Declaration of certain substances, materials and equipment as restricted material, source material, special nuclear material and nuclear related equipment and material, as per Notice No. R. 3291 of GG48428, dated 14 April 2023.

The Nuclear Energy Act, 1999 (Act No. 46 of 1999), has been updated with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regulations, 2023, as per Notice No. R. 3145 of GG48188, dated 10 March 2023.

This Act has been updated by Notice No. 207 in Government Gazette No. 31954 dated 27 February 2009.

The Act has been updated by Policy Notice No. 1347 in Government Gazette No. 31695 dated 12 December 2008.

Notice 280 regarding nominations of candidates to the Board of Directors of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (formerly Atomic Energy Corporation), has been added to the Act, as published in Gazette 20806.

The Nuclear Energy Act, 1999, has been added to the site on 27 January 2000. The entire Act, excepting section 4, came into operation on the 24 February 2000.