The government’s R1 trillion nuclear build programme could hit a snag if it fails to provide detailed plans to the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), as the regulator would not be able to issue licences for the eight proposed plants with no timelines to hand.
NNR told MPs on Friday that the lack of timelines had put it under pressure with the government. On the other hand, officials have been taking trips abroad, signing co-operation agreements with different countries to partner it on the mega project.
Anti-nuclear lobby group Earthlife Africa said at the weekend this was an indication of chaos in the government.
But deputy director-general for nuclear energy in the Department of Energy, Zizamele Mbambo, said at the weekend there were six technical sub-working groups, including inter-departmental nuclear professionals and state-owned entities, doing work on nuclear issues for the government.
“Government has developed a master plan for the roll-out of the nuclear build programme. Significant progress has been made and the planning phase has reached advanced stage.”
The government has begun preparatory work by signing co-operation agreements with various countries with expertise on nuclear.
Each state entity involved – including the NNR, the SA Nuclear Energy Corporation, Eskom and the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute – participated in these technical sub-working groups developing strategies and plans for the roll-out of the programme, said Mbambo.
He added that each of these would be fed into the government’s overall plan, overseen by the cabinet sub-committee on energy security.
“This whole work is done under that government structure, the energy sub-committee. That committee provides oversight and strategic direction on the entire energy mix, including nuclear.”
NNR leaders told Parliament’s portfolio committee on energy that the issuing of licences would be affected by the lack of the supply of timelines.
Its chief executive, Mzubanzi Bismark Tyobeka, told MPs that time was running out for the regulator to prepare before granting licences.
The chief financial officer, Dakalo Netshivhazwaulu, said it was impacting on their work, adding: “There will not be a new power plant in our country without our thorough oversight. This would help us to plan how many more people we need and the expertise.”
National Treasury’s plan to cut R20 million from its budget over the next two years would seriously affect its recruitment of 43 experts to work on nuclear and other programmes.
The NNR has a budget of R160m, with R31m coming from the Treasury, of which the latter has decided to take away R20m. “Such a situation is untenable and I hope the committee intervenes in this matter.”
Tyobeka said there was a small nuclear skills pool in the country. It needed to licence the new sites but this could be hampered by a shortage of skilled staff.
He told the committee it was talking to the Treasury about not cutting its budget.
“If that decision stays, we have to change the tone on the new build. There will be no nuclear build. There will be no licences issued. The budget cuts hinge on the go or no go for the new build.
“For the regulator to prepare adequately, we need to be informed a year before we receive licences because we will need to know the technology to be used and decide on the skills.
“Time becomes an important factor,” Tyobeka said.
Tristan Taylor of Earthlife Africa said the problems highlighted by the NNR in Parliament were an indication of chaos inside the government. He said this was a political decision done at the expense of technical work on nuclear.
“There is no environmental impact assessment completed. The Department of Energy will decide whether we need nuclear power, but the National Development Plan says no.
“We are heading for a hasty decision with serious financial consequences, which we will bear for a long, long time. There is a lot of work to be done, which we are not told about in public.”
He said the programme would not take 10 years as suggested by government, but more in the region of 20 years.
Yesterday the Department of Energy announced it would host parade workshops with vendor countries that were ready and had accepted the invitation.
Vendor parade workshops entail vendor countries presenting their nuclear technology offerings and demonstrating their capabilities on how, if chosen, they plan to meet South Africa’s needs. This will assist South Africa in its procurement decision-making process.
“The first workshop will be held before the end of October 2014, starting with the Russian Federation,” it said.
It said the government had engaged with the US, South Korea, Russia, France, Japan and China, which have pressurised water reactor technology, similar to Koeberg in the Western Cape. South Africa has been safely using this technology for the past 30 years.