S Africa?s nuclear programme kicked into touch, again
 

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa, a country beset by frequent power outages, will have to wait a little longer before pressing ahead with a highly contentious and very costly expansion of its ageing nuclear power fleet.

Exactly how long remains unclear. Last week was supposed to mark a key step forward in plans formulated back in 2010, but at the 11th hour the government balked.

Early last month, the energy ministry an**unced it would finally issue a tender for the construction of between six and eight power stations with a combined capacity of 9,600 megawatts on Friday, September 30. But on Thursday, the ministry pulled the plug, an**uncing the procurement process had been postponed to allow for further consultations.

But it reiterated its commitment to a programme the government says is essential to meeting rising demand for electricity. Five years after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan, South Africa´s project, coupled with the green light given the Hinkley Point plant in Britain, had been set to consolidate a global resumption of nuclear energy development.

In a continent where two thirds of the population lack electricity, South Africa is the only country with a civilian nuclear industry, with two reactors in service for the past 30 years. Ninety percent of electricity in South Africa is generated by polluting coal-fired power stations.





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