Cape Town - The strongest hint yet that an initial budgetary allocation for South Africa’s controversial new nuclear power stations might come in February’s Budget was made by Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe yesterday.
“Let’s wait and see what the finance minister will do then,” he responded during a briefing on this week’s cabinet meeting to a question on cabinet discussions on a nuclear build programme.
Wednesday’s mini-budget made no financial allocations for this.
Radebe said he could not speculate on any time frames for a nuclear build, but “over the next five years this government intends to add another 10 000MW to the energy grid. The issue of nuclear is within that.”
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene said the mini-budget did not include allocations for a nuclear build.
But R850 million was allocated for policy in the nuclear unit of the Energy Department.
However, hours before Nene delivered his speech, the cabinet again discussed nuclear energy in its effort to make the country’s energy supply secure.
This included welcoming recently signed nuclear agreements with Russia and France as “a step in the right direction”, according to a statement on the cabinet meeting.
“The signed agreements add to the pool of nuclear suppliers from which the country can chose for its nuclear procurement programme, and mark another milestone in the prioritisation of energy security,” said the cabinet.
“This process moves the country a step closer to graduating from the existing nuclear energy plant in Koeberg to a more comprehensive, self-sufficient nuclear industry, with is expected to contribute 9.6 (MW) of electricity to the national grid.”
It is expected Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson will sign another nuclear agreement with China early next month.
This would be the fifth, following those with France and Russia, and earlier ones with South Korea and the US.
Critics of South Africa’s move towards nuclear energy at an estimated cost of R1 trillion have cited caution from the National Development Plan.
Concerns over the safety of nuclear plants remain in the wake of the devastating incident at the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan in March 2011.
However, this week the cabinet reiterated the National Development Plan’s (NDP) stance that South Africa had to explore all available energy options for future energy security.
Previously the government has also emphasised the job creation and skills development anticipated from such a nuclear energy programme.
A cabinet subcommittee, chaired by President Jacob Zuma, is in charge of South Africa’s nuclear programme.
Unlike parliamentary committees, cabinet committees work behind closed doors. - Cape Argus