South Africa links from IAEA
* Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa Ltd. (NECSA)
* National Research Foundation
March 18, 2008
* South Africa shuts Russia out of first n-plant bid
March 23, 2007
South Africa - electric power supply margin likely to remain paper thin for years
Despite a massive effort by Eskom, involving more than R150bn of capital expenditure over the next five years, electricity supply security will remain inadequate and reserve margins will be paper thin. Eskom is probably doing all it can to restore supply security. Its current installed net generation capacity of about 37,000 MW will be boosted by the return to service of about 3500 MW of old coal-fired stations, about 2000 MW of new open-cycle gas turbines, a small 100 MW wind farm and a massive new coal plant of about 4200 MW (the so-called Alpha and Charlie projects). A new pumped storage scheme of 1300 MW is also being built. Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin has also said additional investment decisions will be made on further coal-fired stations and two new conventional nuclear plants.
Eskom has confirmed that its future expansion plans are built around "big coal", "big nuclear" and "big networks". But big, new base-load plants take time to plan, procure, build and commission. None will be operating before 2011. By Eskom's own admission, reserve margins will remain below the recommended 15%. Any unexpected rise in electricity demand or higher-than-planned plant outages will stress the system and further load-shedding might be necessary.
[Source: Anton Eberhard, "Faults in Plan for Supply Security", Business Day (South Africa)/allAfrica.com, March 23, 2007]
March 2, 2007/b>
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Nuke trial may be closed to public
Citizen (South Africa)
The South African government alleges that Swiss engineer Daniel Geiges, 67, and German businessman Gerhard Wisser, 66, were involved in the import and export of a controlled flow-forming lathe, as well as the production and possession of components associated with a centrifuge enrichment plant, without the necessary authorisation. These activities were allegedly intended to assist in the now abandoned nuclear weapons programme of the Libyan Government, and formed part of an international nuclear smuggling network linked to Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. Both men pleaded not guilty to all charges against them. The State wants a blanket ban on all reporting of the trial... Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions in the Priority Crimes Litigation Unit, advocate R C Macadam, said the State would also apply for an order that all documentary records of evidence and physical exhibits placed before the court at the criminal trial be secured in a maximum security facility, where the public and media would not have access.
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Nuclear plants are vulnerable to human error
R van der Vlugt, letter to Business Report (South Africa)
The siting of Koeberg was based on poor judgment and it should not be replicated by additional reactors, let alone experimental pebble bed reactors. Issues such as the proximity of a seismically active fault to Koeberg can be designed for, but human error cannot be eliminated. Recent experiences have clearly shown this. Nuclear power stations will always be vulnerable to human error and should therefore be sited away from a heavily populated area, especially one such as Cape Town, that would be largely cut off from escape by a nuclear accident.
October 25, 2006
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SA to spend R6bn on nuclear reactor
Business Day (South Africa)
SA has set aside R6bn over three years to fund plans to build an advanced nuclear reactor, the National Treasury said today. 'A ...
June 20, 2006
* [2006-05-05] Solar power pioneer calls for subsidisation
Independent Online (South Africa)
... first began,' Alberts said. Currently 90 percent of global energy was generated by coal, oil and nuclear power. There were three ...
* [2006-03-23] New nuke power plan for city
Melanie Gosling, Cape Times (South Africa)
* [2006-03-13] Nuke safety made Koeberg shutdowns essential
R Mike Longden-Thurgood, Cape Argus
March 26, 2004
November 24, 2003
Pebble Bed suitability for hydrogen production touted
The Nuclear Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) Company believes it is streets ahead of the rest of the world in a bid to win a $1.1 billion contract from the US government for a hydrogen energy project at the Idaho National Environmental and Energy Laboratory...
Phumzile Tshelape, a nuclear physicist and general manager of corporate services at PBMR, said the pebble bed reactor was uniquely suited to provide the energy needed for the thermo-chemical water splitting processes that could produce large quantities of hydrogen without carbon emissions.
More importantly, the locally developed reactor was about five years ahead of the research of any other high temperature nuclear reactor in the world that could conceivably be able to produce hydrogen.
Tshelape said different consortiums, all of which had to be led by US companies, would submit bids to participate in the project by January 2004.
Two competing technologies would be selected, one of which would be selected a year later. He said PBMR was setting up a consortium in the US, where it was envisaged that PBMR would provide the nuclear technology, while another company would provide the hydrogen technology.
He said the US project could become the second major sale for PBMR. The first sale would be to Eskom for a demonstration reactor plant to be built at Koeberg, pending government approval.
However, participation in the US project would not only expedite the licensing of PBMR in the US, but holding the licence rights in the US would make PBMR nuclear technology acceptable to about 80 percent of the world's other nuclear markets.
[Source: Edward West, "Pebble Bed bullish on $1.1 billion deal", Business Report (South Africa), November 24, 2003]
August 25, 2003
Pebble bed reactor decision appealed by Cape Town mayoral committee
The city of Cape Town has appealed the government's approval of the "mini" PBMR at Koeberg. The government had extended the normal 30-day appeal timeframe for an extra 30 days at the city's request.
[Source: John Yeld, "Cape Town stands up against nuclear plant", The Cape Argus, August 25, 2003, p. 2]
August 13, 2003
South Africa: A significant restructuring of PBMR (Pty) Ltd's management has been announced by Eskom in anticipation of the next phase of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project. Dave Nicholls, current chief executive of PBMR (Pty) Ltd, will return to a senior position at Eskom's headquarters, where he will assist the company in creating the organizational infrastructure to host the demonstration plant and to set the stage for Eskom as a major purchaser of subsequent commercial PBMR plants. Nicholls will be replaced by Nic Terblance. (Nuclear Market Review, 8 August, p3; see also News Briefing 03.21-6)
[Source: World Nuclear Association, WNA News Briefing NB03.32-17, August 12, 2003]