As we discussed in our previous blog post, NECSA's nuclear waste disposal site in Vaalputs, Northern Cape, has been a contentious issue for local communities. Despite NECSA's efforts to engage with communities through the Public Safety Information Forum, many concerns remain unaddressed. In this blog post, we'll explore the lack of transparency and exclusionary practices [...]
Navigating Nuclear Realities and Building Community Strength in Kamiesberg Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of working with communities in the Kamiesberg region of the Northern Cape - a remote but deeply rooted landscape where people live close to the land, and even closer to the social and environmental challenges that [...]
When South Africa talks about nuclear energy, the spotlight is often focused on urban centers like Cape Town, where the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station sits near the ocean, producing electricity while most people don’t think about where its waste goes. But far from the public eye, the real burden of this technology is being offloaded [...]
Koeberg’s 40 year operational licence comes to an end in July 2024 and Eskom is pushing for a twenty year extension from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR). The NNR is now holding public hearings in Tableview, Athlone and Atlantis from the 6th to the 8th of June to consult on the proposed life extension. The [...]
We must define the best vision for Renewable Energy: who should build it, who should own it, how it should be run. Then, to determine how we get to this point, we need a Just Energy Transition plan. By RICHARD HALSEY The ongoing drama around the Renewable Energy (RE) Independent Power Producer (IPPs), is a [...]
By Richard Halsey The Budget Speech 2018 attempted to be a balancing act, but it remains to be seen if it will be successful in stimulating progress while shielding low income households. In the full budget review there are some positive messages for the energy sector that will hopefully drive positive change. It seems that [...]
On 17 May 2017, the National Union of Mine workers (NUM), in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) and Sam Tambani Research Institute (SATRI), hosted a symposium to gather more information surrounding the energy needs of South Africa. They invited various civil society organisations, political parties, scientific institutes and government organs to attend and [...]
Image credit: Andrey Serebryakov In 2016 there has been substantial media coverage on the proposed nuclear build in South Africa. This included: the cost, the outdated energy planning documents, the international agreements, a court case involving the President and the Minister of Energy, problematic environmental impact assessments, a strained nuclear regulator and the potential for [...]
