Design/methodology/approach – The paper refers to the literature that addresses business projects in emerging countries and analyses the actions of a South African company that set out to develop commercial nuclear electricity generation using the pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) technology. The approach adopted in the paper is an assessment of the events and actions that led to the project’s failure.
Findings – The management of the project was flawed from the start because of a lack of measurable milestones and budgetary constraints. The South African government continued to fund the project while not controlling it. Technically, the project was too ambitious and it is not certain whether the project could ever have come to fruition.