South Africa: Resist Nuclear Procurement!

• In December 2020, South Africa’s energy Minister, Mr Gwede Mantashe, issued a determination to commence the process to procure the new nuclear energy generation capacity of 2 500 MW as per decision 8 of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019.
• groundWork, a non-profit environmental justice service and developmental organization working primarily in Southern Africa in the areas of Climate & Energy Justice, Coal and Environmental Health, has made its case to South Africa’s national regulator over the new nuclear build capacity allocation.  

The new nuclear build is is a folly in groundWork’s view, not only a piece of foolishness, but an extravagance built for appearance or status. groundWork has submitted comment to the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) setting out our reasons for opposing any new nuclear construction.

They include: the environmental destruction done in the mining and processing of uranium and in the energy intensive fuel fabrication process; the lack of any feasible plan to deal with high level nuclear waste; the exorbitant cost of the nuclear build and again of decommissioning at the end of the plant’s life; the high likelihood of cost and time overruns; the scope for corruption and / or geo-political leverage by national peddlers of nuclear power; the anti-democratic requirements for secrecy and high level security.

Read groundWork’s comments on Nuclear Determination to Nersa HERE

We would like to hear what you have to say about the matter?

Author: Bryan Groenendaal