MEDIA RELEASE
10-YEARS AFTER FUKUSHIMA DISASTER, SOUTH AFRICANS SPEAK OUT AGAINST NUCLEAR
“The ongoing issues from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, which happened ten-years ago this month (11 March), is a stark reminder of the many compelling arguments against any new nuclear for South Africa.” So says the
Earthlife Africa Johannesburg. Interested and affected communities also raised these arguments with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) – at the Nersa hearings that were held on 23-24 February – to challenge the government’s proposal to add another 2500MW nuclear to the country’s energy mix.
According to Safcei’s Executive Director Francesca de Gasparis, “There is still too little relevant information available in the public realm. We need to know how these plans could affect us. Even when requested via official means, information is either missing or unclear. In its role as energy regulator, NERSA must take the principles of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) into account in its decision on whether to concur with the Minister’s determination for more nuclear energy. To achieve the sustainable development of our electricity supply infrastructure that seeks to benefit all South Africans, a transparent cost-benefit analysis should be conducted to ascertain the feasibility of new nuclear generation capacity. This has not been done.”