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Picture: Trevor Samson
Government was poised to
make a decision on a “significant” nuclear
energy programme as part of the country’s investment
in new electricity generation capacity, Minerals and Energy
Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Tuesday 27 November.
She was addressing a two-day meeting of African energy
decision-makers who belong to the executive committee of
Powering Africa: The Nuclear Option.
The aim of the conference was to develop an understanding
about how nuclear power could be developed and used on
the continent.
The minister said that Africa possessed significant uranium
resources which not only should be beneficiated but also
used to generate energy.
“This is going to
require deliberate and calculated planning on the part
of the leaders of the continent. We will require strategic
partnerships from those who have extensive nuclear programmes.
“A nuclear programme
requires extensive infrastructure and huge investment
in skills.
“I believe that for this continent it may be beneficial
for regional approaches to be adopted in building this
infrastructure.”
Sonjica said the National Nuclear Regulator of SA was
engaged in preliminary discussions with its Nigerian counterparts
to establish a regional nuclear and radiation safety regulatory
forum.
The aim of the forum would be to strengthen regulatory
frameworks and infrastructure and harmonise safety standards
in the region, she said.
The minister acknowledged
public concern over radioactive waste management, which
she said was the “Achilles
heel” of nuclear energy but said the government was
serious about dealing with it.
Government is in the process of finalising a draft law
to give effect to the provisions of the radioactive waste
management policy and strategy published last year.
A radioactive waste management fund is expected to be
finalised by March 2008.
Also, Sonjica announced that SA had submitted its accession
to the joint convention on the safety of spent fuel management
and the safety of radioactive waste management to the International
Atomic Energy Association.
While SA was a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty,
it also believed that concerns over proliferation should
not be used to prevent other countries from benefiting
from nuclear technology.
Africa in particular needed nuclear energy, Sonjica said.
Linda Ensor – Business
Day |
