Greenpeace welcomes Eskom’s decision to abandon plans for nuclear power plant

APA-Jo’burg (South Africa) Greenpeace has welcomed the decision by Eskom, South Africa’s electricity company to abandon plans for a second nuclear plan for the country, according to a press release issued here Thursday.

"We are very happy with the announcement. It is an indication of reason and rationality, because heavy investment in nuclear power is clearly a bad option for South Africa," said Brad Smith, Campaign Director for Greenpeace Africa.

"Nuclear power is unsafe, and a dangerous distraction from real solutions to climate change. Greenpeace has consistently pointed out that the economics of building new French EPR reactors don’t add up. Both of the current EPRs under construction, in Finland and France, have been plagued with cost escalations running into billions of Euros, years of delays, chronic technical complications and important safety defects," the release said.

The release adds that "Taking into consideration the recent price tag of new reactors, buying just two French reactors would ultimately cost ESKOM at least 260 billion Rand (US$37.2 billion), and likely much more. As the costs of nuclear power continue to soar, the price of renewable energy is decreasing annually. Already, and without subsidies, wind power is cheaper than nuclear power per unit of energy produced, while concentrated solar technologies are making big progress in the same direction."

375 to return to work at power plant site

About 375 workers in Hempstead County will return to work Monday after the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission voted 7-1 to allow construction of a coal-fired power plant while its air permit is under appeal.

Friday’s decision served as a victory for Southwestern Electric Power Co., which argued that a four-month delay in building the $ 1. 6 billion facility — the expected length of time for the commission to review the permit — would cost at least $ 63 million and ultimately raise electric rates.