New energy resource plan rightly includes nuclear as a complementary source
Atomic power needed to fulfil SA’s Paris Agreement obligations
● Mineral resources & energy minister Gwede Mantashe recently gazetted the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP2019), a blueprint that aims to achieve security of energy supply through an energy mix of diverse technologies.
Energy infrastructure is a critical component that underpins economic activity and growth across the country, as outlined in the National Development Plan.
One of the decisions in the IRP2019 is that we must commence preparations for a nuclear-build programme to the extent of 2,500MW at a pace and scale that the country can afford. This is a noregret option in the long term. In addition to this, plans to extend the life of the Koeberg power station, the country’s only nuclear power station, are under way.
SA, as a member state of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently participated in the IAEA’s conference in Vienna, Austria, at a time when there are global discussions around a just transition to low-carbon electricity systems.
According to the IAEA, 81% of mitigating efforts in the energy sector through to 2030 should be concentrated on the power sector alone in order to keep the rise in global temperatures well below 2° C.
This calls for urgent action to decarbonise the energy system. Global statistics are indicative that the energy sector is the major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. These include methane, carbon and nitrogen oxides, which trap the heat that tries to escape the Earth’s surface and thereby contribute to global warming, a phenomenon which explains why the average temperature on planet Earth continues to rise over the years.
SA is a signatory of the Paris Agreement, a resolution of the 21st Conference of Parties of the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which came into force on November 4 2016.
The South African government has made commitments towards the implementation of the Paris Agreement, which include developing policies, strategies and plans to keep global warming well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5°C.
Thus, every five years the country is expected to prepare and publish the “intended nationally determined contribution” towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 to 2030 and adapting to, or reducing vulnerability to, the effects of climate change.
The South African Nuclear Energy Policy of 2008 recognises the pivotal role played by nuclear energy in mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The policy sets out the government’s vision to become self-sufficient in all aspects of the nuclear value chain for peaceful uses. This policy is well aligned to support the government to meet its commitment to the Paris Agreement.
The global recognition of nuclear power in climate change mitigation is demonstrated by countries such as France, which operates 58 nuclear power plants and has the cleanest environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.
Nuclear as a baseload energy source has a low life-cycle carbon footprint compared with other energy sources and is gaining global recognition as a clean energy source.
In addressing the climate change challenge, countries are introducing an increased share of renewable energy as part of the energy mix. The intermittent nature of renewable energy requires a complementary low-carbon baseload energy source to meet climate change mitigation goals and ensure security of supply of energy. Nuclear, in addition to its baseload and reliability attributes, further demonstrates flexibility to complement renewable energy.
Some countries are introducing future nuclear technologies that are small and modular in nature — small modular reactors (SMRs). These are inherently safe and can be deployed anywhere, be it inland or around the coast. SA used to be a leader in the space of the SMR through the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor technology.
Given the global move towards the development of SMRs, which are considered a more manageable investment compared to the fleet approach, there is a need for SA to revive research and development in this sector. The complementary nature of nuclear as a baseload energy source with renewable energy in a socalled “hybrid-energy system” is widely recognised by the member states of the IAEA as part of the integrated solution towards addressing the climate change challenge.
Some member states of the IAEA, such as China, South Korea and the Russian Federation, are expanding their nuclear power programmes while others (Egypt, Morocco, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam) are either considering or are already embarking on nuclearbuild programmes, indicating an increasing trend in nuclear programmes around the world.
The climate change battle cannot be won in competitive silos and by polemical debates pitting one technology against another. The effort towards achieving global decarbonisation, therefore, calls for the government to review the energy policies side by side with environmental policies, especially climate change mitigation policies, strategies and plans to ensure optimal alignment.
In the South African context, we should acknowledge nuclear energy as part of a solution to contribute to the just transition to cleaner energy. Thus, the cabinet policy decision on the approved IRP2019, which includes nuclear as part of the energy mix, is welcomed and paves the way to ensuring security of electricity supply for SA.