PRETORIA - Government is forging ahead with plans to expand South Africa's nuclear energy programme.
The move forms part of efforts to strengthen the country's long-term electricity supply.
And Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has reaffirmed government's commitment to procuring 5.2 gigawatts of new nuclear capacity.
“We stood before you about a year ago announcing the adoption by Cabinet of the integrated resource plan, which is nothing but a comprehensive articulation of the energy sources that will underpin our generation capacity in this country.
“As part of that plan, we accepted that we're going to procure 5.2 gigawatts of nuclear with the intention of having a nuclear industrialisation plan to support about 10 gigawatts of a nuclear programme.
“So when matters of this nature come to the fore, that attempt to introduce some degree of uncertainty in relation to the safety and the safeguards around nuclear, we felt that it's important that we should be able to stand before the country and the public and share with you what the facts are."
Three airborne radioactive contamination events took place between June and July inside Unit 2 of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.
The incidents prompted a media briefing after reports that around 150 workers may have been exposed during planned maintenance.
However, Eskom and the National Nuclear Regulator maintain there was no risk to the public or the environment.
Koeberg officials said one of the events on 30 June was not an airborne contamination but rather a radiation alarm.
“On 30 June, we had a dose rate alarm going on. When our workers are in that area, you have what we call electronic personnel dosimetry that you wear. So this did not have to do with airborne contamination.
“So the area was surveyed, and no significant issues were found. And workers were allowed to return. So there was no incident of airborne at that point.”