Today’s Nuclear Seminar held by the Ministry of Energy and Electricity in Tshwane, Gauteng, 12 September, saw three main government speakers talk about nuclear and the planned procurement of some 2 500MW of nuclear energy to the grid.
Energy and Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, speaking at the conference said: “Nuclear is part of the energy mix… it’s part of the future.” Then Deputy Minister of Energy and Electricity Samantha Graham-Maré Graham-Maré said: “It’s indispensable to the resolution of an attainment of energy sovereignty in this country.
“It is clear that nuclear is a critical component of South Africa’s energy mix – offering a low carbon, reliable source of energy that can contribute significantly to the country’s energy security and climate goals.“
Graham-Maré related that South Africa remains committed to fulfilling the objectives of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019, while refining the IRP 2023. “The IRP sets out a requirement of 2 500MW of nuclear power to ensure the stability of South Africa’s power grid. In turn, driving the re-industrialisation of our economy and the promise of economic growth that leads to job creation,” she said.
The Deputy Minister added that although new nuclear build is urgent for ensuring energy stability, the Ministry will not compromise on “public participation, adherence of statutory regulatory requirements and openness and transparency in decision making, procurement and the implementation of our new nuclear build”.
In that regard, the Ministerial determination for the procurement of the nuclear energy was withdrawn last month. She added that the negative perceptions around nuclear energy must be changed.
“Nuclear still carries somewhat of a stigma. Much of this is ignorance perpetuated by a view o] government shrouded in secrecy manned by scientists in hazmat suits and the fear generated through the cold war era of the total destruction of the planet as a result of a nuclear war. It is up to all of us to change these perceptions.
“This summit is the first leg of that process. Given South Africa’s expertise and commitment to nuclear energy over the years, this summit is a key engagement with the nuclear industry in SA that we hope will become a regular feature of our agenda,” she added.
Energy and Electricity Minister Ramokgopa also announced that an expert panel is expected to be convened to advise Energy and Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa on government’s planned procurement. The Minister emphasised the department is open to having frank conversations about the sources of energy powering the country.
Ramokgopa said the SA government will pursue a new nuclear build that is led by scientific evidence. “We are going to be evidence led in terms of our policy choices. Ramokgopa insisted that the withdrawal of the ministerial determination for government’s planned procurement of at least 2 500MW was to protect the process from legal challenges.
“We made the point that we have nothing to hide. So if there are complexities or the process of the 2 500MW build programme is compromised, we have a duty to pull it back, to clean it so that you don’t conflate the science and the process. The Minister noted that the global move towards the use of nuclear energy is a “return to realism”.
“The conversations are democratic, they are open. We are going to discuss all technologies, all fuel sources because all of them are needed to help us on the energy side. But also to ensure that we achieve conditions of energy sovereignty and also we pursue other peaceful uses outside of powering the South African economy.
He added that an expert team will advise him in relation to the pace and scale that is affordable. Then there is the public consultation process, then a procurement framework that will be taken to Cabinet to seek an ‘in principle’ approval of the framework. The actual execution of that procurement will be discharged through an avenue to be announced. “We will answer the question of at what scale, what pace that will not undermine the issues of affordability and not compromise the fiscus. I am more than confident that nuclear has got a place, has a got a role,” Ramokgopa said
“We will converge on the science that this is the path that must be pursued for us to be able to achieve energy security to ensure that we are able to green the sources of energy generation.
Then Eskom Group Chief Executive (GCE) Dan Marokane told stakeholders at Nuclear Seminar that South Africa should “move with pace” to keep up with the global move towards new nuclear build.
Marokane addressed stakeholders at the Nuclear Seminar held by the Ministry of Energy and Electricity on Thursday.
“We are for nuclear. We understand that the energy mix is an important component of us achieving our strategic objectives as a country. This is not a discussion about either or. We’ve always argued that it is about the use of [energy] technologies to be complimentary.
“We are looking forward to participating in the process that will be led by the Minister of Energy and Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, to show that we can get to a point of making decisions very quickly. We cannot afford to wait any longer. We have fallen behind and we have an opportunity to catch up and we need to move with pace,” he said.
Marokane emphasised that it is important that government has a clear stance on the use of nuclear energy in the country’s ambitions to lower carbon emissions.
“What I would like to appreciate is the very clear government perspective on the strategy of nuclear and where it sits on the energy mix and its importance for us marching towards net zero targets.
“We exist within the global community and clearly there’ve been movements within the world…the world around has reawakened to the reality that [nuclear] is essentially an important component of baseload power generation going forward and us reducing emissions going forward.
“We have heard about the ambitions for nuclear on the continent, Egypt being quite advanced in this area. It would be sad of us to be overtaken having had so many years of operation…both from a perspective of skills and technical contribution to the continent and opportunities,” he said.
The GCE highlighted that the economic spinoffs from using nuclear energy are “quite huge”.
“For us as a country that is emerging out of the history that it has, the social inequalities that it has, this is an element that is going to contribute meaningfully for us. Our presence in the Western Cape has contributed immensely to the economic activities in the value chain.
“We have experienced quite tremendous positive spin offs from a green stability point of view with the Koeberg [Nuclear Power Station] units that are contributing…into the system. We have just…[installed] new steam generators so that we can have a life extension for the next 20 years.
“We will continue to look at the opportunities for exploiting this for even longer,” Marokane said.
– News source: SAnews – edited by Bev Mortimer
