South Africa has begun an environmental impact assessment process to approve a site for a 5.2GW nuclear power station for South Africa.
Eskom proposes to build the third nuclear power station at either Thyspunt, on the Eastern Cape coast between Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay, or at Bantamsklip, between Pearly Beach and Kleinbaai on the Overberg coast adjacent to Dyer Island.
Back in August, final environmental authorisation was given for the construction of a second nuclear power plant for South Africa to move forward at Duynefontein, which already hosts the current 1,940MW Koeberg nuclear power station.
South Africa’s state-run power utility, Eskom Holdings is the agency leading the development of the power plant.
Eskom expects the Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) to complete the environmental assessment by February 2027, and for any appeals to be resolved by May 2027.
Eskom has yet to release the cost of the proposed power plant and how the funding will be achieved.
The power station is still far from completion as there are environmental concerns to worry about. Dyer Island is a 20-hectare nature reserve, situated just off the coast, 10km from Bantamsklip.
The environmentalist group, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, which has called for more research before approving any development at Bantamsklip said:
“The proposed nuclear site is situated within a habitat that is unique not only to this continent but to the whole world’s ecosystems. The majority of our area’s incredible biodiversity is dependent on this system of constant change which creates an upwelling of nutrients which is the driving force of this extensive and complex marine ecosystem.”
South Africa has increasingly faced public pressure to move away from coal-fired power because of its negative health impacts.
But the country’s minister for mineral and petroleum resources Gwede Mantashe has often argued that the real issue lies more in ensuring energy security in the country than following the global push to shift to renewables.
In May, the government launched the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC) in a significant step toward enhancing the nation’s energy security and reducing reliance on imported petroleum products.
The new state-owned oil enterprise was created after merging PetroSA, iGas and the Strategic Fuel Fund. It will prioritise fuel security by managing the country’s strategic oil reserves, reducing imports and improving the national balance of payments.
“We made the decision to take three state-owned entities, merge them, and create an energy champion for the country. The issue for us is to focus on inclusive growth. This country can have between 5% and 8% annual growth if we use our oil and gas reserves. We have oil, we have gas, so we must exploit it,” Mantashe said.
He has also said that the government is planning to lift a 14-year ban on shale gas exploration in the Karoo Basin, which has remained off-limits for years since environmental and regulatory concerns halted all shale gas activities.