Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has been questioned about the affordability of the nuclear programme. Picture: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s announcement to procure 2,500MW of nuclear energy has come under question from environmental lobby groups who said this was all shrouded in controversy.
They said the announcement comes hot on the heels of the Gazprom deal to restart the Mossel Bay gas-to-liquids (GTL) refinery.
The Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei), Earthlife Africa, and The Green Connection all questioned the decision by Ramokgopa and said it was flawed.
They said Ramokgopa went public on the matter even before the Integrated Resource Plan 2023 has been finalised.
Cabinet approved the IRP 2023 at its special meeting last Friday, and Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe will release it for public comment.
Civil society also said Ramokgopa gave no details on the cost of the nuclear project or whether it would be affordable.
Executive Director of Earthlife Africa, Fransesca de Gasparis, said all the modelling showed the project would not be affordable.
“The announcement that the minister of electricity will be procuring 2,500 MW of new nuclear energy has been met with disbelief by civil society. All the independent modelling shows that nuclear energy is neither affordable nor needed in our energy mix now or in the future.
“We know electricity baseload does not need nuclear, and in the absence of a finalised and fully reviewed IRP for 2023, today’s announcement by government seems to be motivated by greed, not need,” said De Gasparis.
Liz McDaid of the Green Connection said it was strange that this announcement comes a day after the Gazprom deal.
Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said on Monday that the Cabinet has approved the deal between PetroSA and Gazprombank to restart the Mossel Bay GTL refinery.
McDaid said it appears the announcement by Ramokgopa was to distract the nation from the Gazprom deal.
Earthlife Africa Director Makoma Lekalakala said they were surprised that it was Ramokgopa who made the announcement and not the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).
In addition, it did not mean this would be the end of load shedding, as it takes up to 20 years or more to build a nuclear power station of that magnitude and not 10 years, as suggested by Ramokgopa.
There will be no nuclear power station by 2032, said Lekalakala.
Lekalala also said Ramokgopa went ahead with his public briefing on the matter without the IRP 2023 being finalised.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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