Nuclear needs think-tank

The government has given a strong signal that it has every intention of forging ahead with its nuclear build programme. That such a colossal step, which will have far-reaching economic consequences for decades, is even being considered in the absence of a solid business case is mind-boggling.

South Africans don’t know who to believe — the pro-nuclear lobby, which insists their offering is the cheapest and the country will be needing a lot of it, or the supporters of renewable and other alternative forms of energy. The latter group seems to question whether Eskom should even consider increasing its generation capacity.

The government could save itself the embarrassment of another hiding in the Constitutional Court by establishing a multidisciplinary working group tasked with developing a credible position paper dealing with the following: (1) a best estimate of the country’s electricity needs over, say, the next 50 years; (2) the sources likely to be available and their estimated comparable costs, taking into account factors such as capital outlay, maintenance, replacement and environmental protection; (3) the optimal and most cost-effective mix of sources of electricity; and (4) cost-effective funding plans.

The group should include representatives of the large users of electricity, engineers, economists, scenario planners and actuaries.

The new energy minister would be well advised to wait for such an objective and professional business case before committing taxpayers’ money to nuclear.

Blignault Gouws

Waterkloof Ridge