The final scoping report for Eskom's proposed new nuclear plant, the PBMR, has been completed and is now open to the public for comment. This is an important stage in the Environmental Impact Assessment being undertaken.
 
 
Media
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Demand for Nuclear summit 04 Jun 2004
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National Budget Speech 25 Feb 2005
Protect our Children 21 Apr 2005
Unguarded Site 25 Apr 2005
ELA Call for Investigation 30 Apr 2005
New NNR Head Destrys Credibility 25 May 2005
Power Failures Reveal Safety risks 19 Nov 2005
ELA Loses Case for Eskom's Board Minutes 15 Dec 20
National Budget Speech 25 Feb 2005

Press Release 25 Feb 2005

National Budget Speech


Since the Democratic Government came to power, the Finance Minister’s Budget Speeches has always left South Africa with food for thought. Like the State of the Nation Address, this event has managed to draw attention of multi-stakeholders and this includes the global community.

In the budget speech, Wednesday 23 February, Trevor Manuel has made a mention of a number of significant projects, one of which is the Eskom Holding's planned pilot pebble-bed modular reactor (PBMR).

In his Budget speech, Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel said infrastructure spending by public enterprises is expected to grow strongly over the years ahead, "complemented by rising spending on public assets through public-private partnerships of various kinds".
 
“The expression of the government’s undying love and unequivocal support for this PBMR project comes at a critical time in the South African energy debate” said Sibusiso Mimi, Earthlife Africa Cape Town Nuclear Energy Cost the Earth Campaign.

Mimi said, “The PBMR project has dipped its dirty hand down the public purse and the Minister’s support for this project is a confirmation of a further abuse of public funds without the public’s consent.

“Furthermore, the attitude demonstrated by our government towards this project is contrary to its commitment for better life for all, the resources and time currently used to keep the fragile PBMR project from dying could be better used where it is needed the most but not to maintain a industry that is only holding on the fragile ends of the apartheid’s inheritance that may go down anytime, certainly not alone but with lives of the innocent” said Mimi.

The Minister’s support for the PBMR project comes in the wake of the People's Budget, which this week called for a scrapping of the project.

This view was presented at Parliament on Monday by the South African Council of Churches (SACC), the South African Non-Governmental Coalition (SANGOCO) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

They argued that resources could be better used to extend the electrification programme.

Despite the objections and a rejection of the PBMR project by significant civil society representatives who raises concerns related to technical safety of the PBMR, the radioactive waste plan and economic viability of the project, the government persist with financing a project that has no other investor but an alleged bankrupt British Fuel Nuclear Limited (BFNL), which, in our opinion has no integrity at all.

“It is time that our government listens to what the people of South Africa have to say; the development path we the people of South Africa are comfortable with, thinks that is the best for us and that alone will result to a fruition of a belief that South Africa belongs to all those who live in it” said Mimi.