The favoured option of the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2010 calls for the first new nuclear station to come on stream in 2023. With a lead time of at least 12 years, decisions will have to be made soon.
The IRP 2010 calls for six new nuclear stations, each with a capacity of 1600MW. The government is understood to favour a "fleet strategy", meaning that a single vendor could supply the technology for decades to come.
Opinion remains divided on the suitability of nuclear for the country’s energy mix. Supporters say it can supply baseload power but opponents say that it continues to carry too many risks and is not preferable to renewables such as wind and solar.
Public participation in the draft IRP 2010 is winding down -- the deadline for written submissions on all electricity generating technologies under consideration expires on Friday.
The implementation of the new energy policy will then begin in earnest.
The IRP proposes that nuclear energy should provide 14% of South Africa’s total electricity generating capacity by 2030. Nuclear is seen as the best replacement for coal and the way to provide most of the country's baseload requirements when ageing coal-fired stations are decommissioned to meet South Africa's carbon emission reduction targets.
'Time is very tight'
The department of energy expects the IRP to be promulgated by February, after which the government's nuclear procurement process will begin.
"Time is very tight, but it would be equally inappropriate to rush into nuclear without public participation," said Ompi Aphane, the department's deputy director general for electricity, nuclear and clean generation. More at link.
http://www.mg.co.za/article/2010-12-10-countdown-to-nuclear-liftoff
No comments:
Post a Comment