South Africa’s Electricity and Energy Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has acknowledged that the affordability and upfront capital required for additional nuclear power generation is a challenge.
According to a report by SABC, the Electricity Minister acknowledged the challenge at the 2nd G20 Energy Transition Working Group meeting in Cape Town last week.
Ramokgopa outlined his department’s goals for the expansion of nuclear technology in the country.
South Africa’s nuclear energy programme has been in operation since 1984. Energy expert Ruse Moleshe, speaking at the event, said nuclear projects need to be planned over a long period.
She maintains that costs need to be balanced against the cost of not having energy, as is the case during load shedding.
“Yes, it has upfront capital costs similar to how renewable energy technologies are. There is a lot of capital needed in the beginning, which is why it’s one of the cheapest now, so it’s an investment required at an early stage. But countries are looking at options because they value security of supply,” says Moleshe.
When it comes to concerns about nuclear power safety, Moleshe explains that there are different types of nuclear power.
“If you look at nuclear for power generation, that’s the peaceful use of nuclear; it’s used to generate power. And yes, we’ve had incidents like Fukushima.
In fact, for me, Fukushima is a good example – now Japan is going back full speed into nuclear technology.”
She adds that nuclear power is a highly regulated industry and that South Africa adheres to International Atomic Energy Agency regulations.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has said nuclear power will be part of South Africa’s policy to mitigate climate change.
“Nuclear technology has a huge role to play in the expansion of nuclear technology.”
The lower environmental impact of nuclear power, combined with its costs, gives it a key advantage as the world moves towards a just energy transition.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
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