NUCLEAR POWER - IS SOUTH AFRICA READY TO HANDLE SUCH RESPONSIBILITY

NUCLEAR POWER

IS SOUTH AFRICA READY 

TO HANDLE SUCH RESPONSIBILITY

Stes De Necker

ESKOM, the South African power supplier, earlier announced their intention to build six new nuclear power plants. Tenders for the construction of these plants should be going out by the end of 2015 already.

In a recent audit done by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the AEA found South Africa’s nuclear preparedness deficient in more than 40% of its assessment criteria.

This strongly indicates that South Africa is simply not ready to expand its nuclear capability and or safety at the present moment.

Echoing these findings are a series of reports from the World Association of Nuclear Operators, which found the capacity of management and staff at the Koeberg nuclear plant to be sub-optimal. Eskom’s current financial and management crises is further impacting negatively on the long-term nuclear safety at SA’s sole nuclear power station.

This is to say nothing of the capacity constraints being experienced at the National Nuclear Regulator – a body that lacks the requisite skill to oversee any new building program.

South Africa’s nuclear planning and development is currently in the hands of a government that knows very little, if anything, about nuclear science and technology.

This lack of proper understanding together with the destructive power of nuclear energy makes for a very volatile combination that can only result in a major catastrophe.

Maintaining a nuclear power plant is something completely different to maintaining a conventional power station.

On April 26, 1986 the world witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in modern history when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant melted down in the Ukraine.

The disaster released at least 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima and the fatal effects of this disaster are still being felt today.

Nuclear rain from the disaster fell as far away as Ireland while 800,000 men risked their lives exposing themselves to radiation in order to contain the situation.

25,000 of these men have died since and 70,000 are permanently disabled.

If Eskom’s track record, since 1994, is anything to go by, this ambitious plan of the South African Government is a disaster just waiting to happen.

The truth is simple. South Africa is simply not ready to take on such a responsibility or to expand its  nuclear capability at this stage.     .