Greenpeace activists claim nuclear deal is a Trojan horse
A “TROJAN horse” was strategically placed outside the Department of Energy’s offices in Pretoria yesterday in protest over the nuclear plan in which the department is investing.
Greenpeace Africa protesters assembled a nuclear Trojan horse directly outside the department’s offices and chained it to the gate at the entrance of the department in protest over what they said was a dead-end road to nowhere.
“Greenpeace’s protest today highlights the fact that the nuclear deal may be presented by the government and the pro- nuclear lobby as something that is good for South Africa, but it is nothing more than a Trojan horse. New investments in nuclear are a trap that will not solve South Africa’s current electricity crisis, since the nuclear reactors will take at least a decade to build. In reality the cost of nuclear investments – estimated at R1 trillion – could very well bankrupt the country and will deliver too late and at far too high a price,” said Melita Steele, senior climate and energy campaign manager at Greenpeace Africa.
In Greek mythology, a Trojan horse was used during the Trojan War centuries ago by the Greeks, presented as a gift, to gain entrance into Troy and destroy the city.
The protest was a consequence of Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson not responding within seven days to a letter sent to her by Greenpeace on August 17.
In the letter, Greenpeace Africa demanded that the department make public the studies and assessments about nuclear investments.
Their demands to the department include that:
The department must release timelines for the completion of an updated integrated resource plan (IRP).
The nuclear procurement process must be halted until the cabinet has approved this IRP.
Wide-ranging public hearings must be carried out before the procurement can begin.
All information related to potential costs for the nuclear programme and all expected impacts on the price of electricity must be released into the public domain.
The budget and financing/ funding model must be released into the public domain, along with a financing plan approved by Treasury.
Studies into the economic impacts of the nuclear pro- gramme must be made public.
The environmental impact assessment for the proposed nuclear reactor must be completed before procurement can begin.
“It’s imperative that the wide-ranging concerns around the proposed new nuclear investment programme are dealt with comprehensively, instead of only placing excerpts of key information into the public domain, while informing the public that the remainder of the information can’t be released,” Michael O’Brien Onyeka, Greenpeace Africa executive director, wrote to the minister.