Minister hosts nuclear outreach

Minister hosts nuclear outreach

Minister of Energy Dipuo Peters has commended the Eastern Cape, and Kouga in particular, for positioning itself as the future "energy hub of South Africa".

The Minister visited Kouga on March 14 and 15 to turn the sod of the regionfs second wind farm and to raise awareness of Governmentfs nuclear energy programme.@@

Kouga is home to Thyspunt, the proposed location of the first new nuclear power plant that Eskom will build as part of Governmentfs plan to bring on line 9600MWe of nuclear power by 2030.@@

The Minister received a warm welcome from political and business leaders at the St Francis Links Golf Estate on March 14. The community outreach was held at the Humansdorp Country Club the following afternoon.

Peters said Kouga was ideally suited for Governmentfs plan to generate energy through various means. This "energy mix" would include renewable sources such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass and biogas, as well as coal and nuclear power.

She said the purpose of her visit was to sensitise local stakeholders to the opportunities that energy-related developments such as Thyspant would bring to the region.

These opportunities include manufacturing the components required for nuclear power plants.

"Nuclear manufacturing is of such a high quality that we would be able to manufacture for any sector once we have achieved this," she said. "The steps towards the creation of a local industry around nuclear will be the essential stepping stone towards greater industrial development."

She said the nuclear programme would also go hand-in-hand with the development of "high tech skills".

"It is our intention to ensure that the complete pipeline of skills programmes are developed for the communities, based around the nuclear power plant and industries."

She said that people who were skilled for the nuclear industry were sought after in all sectors.

"When people are skilled for the nuclear industry, we do not speak about jobs, but careers. There is a constant updating and refreshment of skills to keep up with the latest developments and changes from the international community.

"When companies see high tech skills in our country, and more specifically in this region, they will be encouraged to invest in setting up industries here. That means more jobs for everyone."

The Minister assured communities that there was no reason to fear radiation because technology had advanced to such an extent that radiation levels could be kept to a safe limit.

She further emphasised that South Africa had more than 60 years of experience in the nuclear industry. The country is home to two nuclear power reactors in the Western Cape, near Cape Town. They produce enough electricity for at least two-million mid-income households. There is also a research reactor in the North West Province that produces medical products used to treat more than 10 million patients annually.

To achieve the targets set out in Governmentfs Integrated Resources Plan 2010-2030 a further six to ten nuclear reactors need to be built, depending on the technology chosen.