Cape Town - Japan’s former Atomic Energy Commission vice-chairman Dr Tatsujiro Suzuki was caught up in South Africa’s controversial nuclear build programme when an ANC MP and domestic nuclear regulator chief tackled him for not outlining the positives of nuclear power.
After Tuesday’s public lecture, Suzuki admitted being somewhat “surprised”, but emphasised that while he did not want to get involved in local matters, it was important to share Japan’s experience following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. “I just want to make sure my personal experience and that of Japan should be shared. This could happen again,” the nuclear engineer, who was second-in-charge at the time of the nuclear disaster, told the Cape Argus.
Four years after the March 2011 meltdown at Fukushima following severe damage to the nuclear power plant when a tsunami struck, work to ensure safety of the nuclear reactors and to mitigate water contamination are still ongoing. Initially estimated to take 30 to 40 years to contain the after-effects of the meltdown, and to decommission the nuclear power plant, the process is taking significantly longer due to delays in constructing facilities needed for these decommissioning processes.
Suzuki said more than 120 000 people were evacuated, and only recently residents in the so-called green zones, or furthest from the nuclear accident site, were informed they may return as radiation levels finally dropped to what may be considered safe. It had caused social friction, even within families where children did not want to return, and the local fishing industry remained in the doldrums as even if the fish were clean, consumers remained sceptical.
Speaking at the University of the Western Cape, Suzuki recounted the loss of public trust, not only in nuclear energy, but also government over the Fukushima disaster. “Even after four years, in Japan public trust has not been recovered,” he said, adding that as a nuclear engineer the incident showcased the importance of socio-political issues beyond technical matters. “The social, political and economic risks are so large. Protection of human life is not good enough.”
However, during question time ANC MP Tandi Mahambehlala pointed out “renewable energy is not viable for a bigger country” and that Suzuki’s presentation focused “more on risks, not solutions”.
“As a country we believe nuclear energy will assist us in the eradication of load shedding. We are not going to phase out nuclear. It’s part of our energy mix,” said Mahambehlala, who later told Suzuki that Koeberg’s nuclear waste was already being taken care of at Vaalputs in the Northern Cape.
National Nuclear Regulator chief executive Bismark Tyobeka said he was “happy” Suzuki pointed out no life was lost in the Fukushima nuclear accident, but had “a problem” little was said about the loss of life attributable to the natural disaster. “We need to distil the effect of the accident and the bigger effect of the tsunami.”
Suzuki kept it focused on Japan, saying nuclear could be a viable option, but “there are many risks, even if we solve the safety and economic issues”. Final disposal of nuclear waste remained “a headache” for all countries.
There is a week left before the end of the second quarter of the 2015/16 financial year, or September 30, by when Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson and her officials promised the nuclear procurement would get under way. The aim was to have a strategic partner in place by the end of the financial year on March 31, 2016.
This public promise was repeated as recently as the start of this month when, during a parliamentary energy committee meeting, the minister acknowledged cost-benefit and affordability studies were under way in a process also involving National Treasury.
Up until then the nuclear build programme of between six and eight reactors to produce 9 600 MegaWatts had been shrouded in secrecy.
Energy officials said putting a price tag on the nuclear build would give away commercial advantages.
At that energy committee meeting, Joemat-Pettersson also dismissed claims there was already a preferred bidder - South Africa signed precursor co-operation agreements with China, Russia, the US, France and South Korea - and that there was a R1 trillion price tag.
Political Bureau
CAPE ARGUS