Nuclear plan gains momentum

Published Dec 18, 2014

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Wiseman Khuzwayo and Sapa

SOUTH Africa’s new nuclear programme would bring wealth to local communities, the World Nuclear Association (WNA) said yesterday.

The WNA said this after the Presidency announced that the stage was now set to start the preparatory stage for the nuclear procurement process.

The announcement comes at a time when the country has been plunged into darkness by Eskom’s lack of energy capacity and as South Africa seeks alternative power sources.

The Presidency said the programme would create massive infrastructure development, and stimulate the local economy.

“It will enable the country to create thousands of high-quality jobs for engineers, scientists, artisans, technicians and various other professions; develop skills and create sustainable industries; and catapult the country into a knowledge economy,” it said.

David Hess, a nuclear analyst at the London-based WNA, said it was exciting to see South Africa push ahead with its nuclear programme. The projects mentioned offered fantastic opportunities to South Africans.

“They will bring wealth to local communities, while helping to develop regional infrastructure and increasing reliable energy access for all. They will do this in a sustainable way, assisting (the nation) to reach its CO2 (carbon dioxide) goals while protecting wildlife and the environment.”

Hess said many environmentalists and academics were now beginning to openly express their support for nuclear energy, especially in Western countries.

Critics

But others disagree.

Dominique Doyle, the secretary of Earthlife Africa, said using the current electricity shortages as a reason to forge ahead with the nuclear procurement programme was misleading and amounted to public blackmail.

“South Africa should heed the lessons learned from Medupi power station when it comes to the promotion of large-scale energy infrastructure to solve the crisis. Medupi’s first unit was due to come online in a few days but has been delayed again.”

She said contrary to what the Presidency was saying, a nuclear build would not provide thousands of high-quality jobs, but would most likely pit South African labour in close competition with Russian workers.

“The current electricity crisis has shown the public that the transmission system is in a dire state. How will that same system safely deal with nuclear power, and at what cost?” asked Doyle.

The Presidency said the stage was now set to start the preparatory stage for the procurement process, following the signing of intergovernmental framework agreements with the US, South Korea, Russia, France and China.

“These agreements set out potential frameworks of co-operation that each country foresees where or how they can participate in South Africa’s new nuclear build programme,” the Presidency said.

The government had also, over the past two months, successfully concluded nuclear vendor parade workshops with these same countries.

“The workshops entail vendor countries presenting their nuclear technology offerings.”

The government intended ensuring energy security through the nuclear new build programme as an integral part of the energy mix.

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