-
[FILE IMAGE]: Pylons carry electricity from South African power utility Eskom’s Koeberg nuclear plant near Cape Town.
The Department of Mineral Resources today hosted a community forum, StandUp4Nuclear South Africa, to inform residents of the Kouga Municipality, of the economic development of a proposed nuclear plant in Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape.
The department says it hopes that by 2030 the nuclear plant, near the small coastal town of Jeffrey’s Bay, will be providing clean, efficient and affordable energy.
If built, the Thyspunt nuclear power plant will be the first large scale electricity producing plant in the Eastern Cape.
The department says while it is still early days, this alternative source of energy will produce about 2,500 megawatts to add to the grid.
Deputy Director General of Nuclear Energy Management and Regulations, Zizamele Mbambo says the project will bring jobs and skills for local people.
“As government, we are very clear that we want to make sure that we can localise and industrialise the new nuclear build such that the work is done by our own experts in the country. We’re looking to the Eastern Cape as being the energy hub. We are getting ourselves ready for the project and are starting to engage with the community early on,” says Mbambo.
Thyspunt, as a site for a nuclear power plant, is widely opposed due to its possible impact on the environment, but many community members feel positive that the plant will help alleviate the poverty in the area.
Executive Mayor of Kouga Municipality, Hattingh Bornman says community involvement during the process is the key to its success.
“It is really important that we get the community involved in the process of the plant, because we really want them to be the biggest beneficiaries of it. There is great potential for job creation and for skills transfer. So, the community must get proper information about the plant, how it will work and what role they can play in it,” says Bornman.
The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy says the construction of a new nuclear plant will provide a substantial boost to local suppliers and manufacturers.
Mixed reactions on building nuclear power station:
