nuclear-news

Hasty and secretive nuclear power move in South Africa

R300bn nuclear tender shouldn’t be sneaked through – DA, Politics web,  26 February 2012 Lance Greyling says nuclear build programme must be properly scrutinised in parliament Nuclear Build Programme must be debated in Parliament In the budget review for 2012, a price tag of R300 billion appears for Eskom’s nuclear fleet build programme. The programme is designed to deliver 9,600MW of nuclear capacity by 2029 and is described as being in the “final stages of consideration before financial proposals can be determined”

This is all rather curious.

The President did not mention the R300 billion nuclear build programme in his State of the Nation Address. The Minister of Finance did not mention it explicitly in his Budget Speech. Now, apparently, it is in its “final stages”.

There has been no debate in Parliament and no opportunity for the public to scrutinise a nuclear programme that could have a very real impact on all of our lives. Not only will it cost nearly a third of our annual budget, but there are serious safety and environmental concerns to consider.

Given that the shadow of Arms Deal corruption continues to darken our democracy, government should be extra careful about the nuclear build programme. It must err on the side of more transparency, not less. For this reason, the DA will table a motion to debate the nuclear build programme in Parliament at the first opportunity.

From a technical point of view, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Feasibility study for the programme should be in the public domain before any project of this magnitude is seriously considered. If a specific amount has already been allocated in the budget, the public has a right to see the evidence on which the budgetary allocation was decided…. http://www.politicsweb.co.za/politicsweb/view/politicsweb/en/page71654?oid=282389&sn=Detail&pid=71616

February 27, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | secrets,lies and civil liberties, South Africa