Dear Honourable Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson...
I am writing to you to highlight the urgency of putting all the information related to the government’s plans to invest in new nuclear reactors into the public domain.
There are a number of key documents the government has referred to over the past month.
We believe all these documents must be made public to allow for transparency about the decision-making and procurement processes involved.
Greenpeace believes the updated IRP (Integrated Resource Plan) – to which we contributed substantially – made a strong argument for why this country should not be looking to invest in new nuclear reactors.
For some reason, however, this updated plan is not being used and electricity investment decisions are being made based on the IRP2010. This is now two years out of date.
Greenpeace believes it is in the public interest that all studies and assessments about nuclear investments be made available to the public, particularly given the size of the proposed investments.
As such, I am asking you to urgently address and respond to – by August 24 – the list of information we are requesting regarding plans to build new nuclear reactors in South Africa.
This is particularly urgent, given that the Department of Energy plans to begin procurement in the very near future.
Specifically, we request the following:
* We believe that investments in nuclear power plants cannot go ahead based on an outdated electricity plan (IRP2010) which is now two years out of date.
The entire process is flawed because the government is making immense electricity investment decisions based on an outdated plan, with outdated demand projections and outdated assumptions.
At a very minimum, the Department of Energy must release timelines for the completion of an updated IRP (including public participation and hearings), and the nuclear procurement process must be halted until such a time as the new IRP has been approved by cabinet.
* Wide-ranging public hearings – specifically on the country’s planned nuclear investments and the procurement process – must be carried out before procurement may begin.
* All information related to potential costs for the nuclear programme, and all expected impacts on the price of electricity must be released into the public domain.
* The full nuclear readiness report must be released into the public domain.
* The full procurement process and all details of any so-called “competitive bidding process” must be outlined by the Department of Energy before procurement begins.
* All studies on the potential for job creation related to the nuclear build programme must be released into the public domain.
* The budget and financing/funding model must be released into the public domain, along with a financing plan approved by Treasury.
* Any technical studies completed by the Department of Energy related to new nuclear investments must be released into the public domain.
* Studies into the economic impacts of the nuclear investments must be released into the public domain.
* Studies into the economic effect of the localisation of the nuclear programme must be released into the public domain.
* The Environmental Impact Assessment for the first proposed nuclear reactor (nuclear-1) must be completed before procurement may begin.
* Any amendments to nuclear legislation must go through a rigorous public participation process before finalisation.
It is imperative that the wide-ranging concerns around the proposed new nuclear investment programme are dealt with comprehensively – instead of merely placing excerpts of key information in the public domain, and then informing the public that the remainder of the information cannot be released.
I therefore reiterate that – because of the critical importance of this matter – Greenpeace is requesting that you urgently address and respond to the above list by the August 24.
I look forward to hearing from you in this regard.
Michael O’Brien-Onyeka
Greenpeace Africa Executive Director