Eskom has released a statement confirming the suspension of Koeberg’s General Manager for performance-related issues. This is concerning as it raises several questions from a safety perspective. Eskom’s chief nuclear officer, Riedewaan Bakardien, is now also doing the job of Koeberg plant manager, which means he can’t be giving 100% of his attention to either job. What … [Read more...]
Lessons learned during landmark SA nuclear court case
On Monday 26 April, it will be four years since the Western Cape High Court found the government’s R1-trillion nuclear deal and associated energy procurement processes to be “illegal and unconstitutional”. South Africa was spared from a corrupt deal under the Zuma government that would have bankrupted the country. This day also marks 35-years since the Chernobyl nuclear … [Read more...]
More transparency needed from national nuclear regulator
The Koeberg Alert Alliance and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) say they are concerned about the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE) failure to appoint a representative of civil society to the National Nuclear Regulator’s board. According to these organisations, this lack of representation is contributing to the ongoing weak … [Read more...]
SA’s inadequate nuclear liability regulations finally updated
South Africa’s inadequate nuclear liability regulations have finally been updated and gazetted by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe. This news comes after almost six years of Greenpeace Africa pushing the Minister to do so to protect taxpayers from the potentially astronomical costs of a nuclear accident. "We can finally celebrate the fact that the … [Read more...]
Fears of another Fukushima linger as tropical storm pummels Texas
In the midst of Tropical Storm Harvey's drenching onslaught, energy watchdogs are sounding the alarm over the continued operation of two nuclear reactors in East Texas that are running at full capacity despite what they claim is the clear potential for a major disaster. Located near Bay City, Texas, the reactors belong to the South Texas Project, a 12,200-acre nuclear power … [Read more...]
Nuclear protection threats still looming
Why does the political prestige and prowess associated with the acquisition of nuclear weapons by a government still weigh heavier than considering future damage to the planet? Surely they know by now of the long-term effects of these radioactive chemicals on the environment? Why is a country like Iran developing their nuclear capabilities, while Germany has decided to do … [Read more...]
Fukushima’s effects will linger
The world is still reeling from the shock of the terrible triple disasters of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake 13 kilometers off the Oshika coastline near Sendai, the resultant tsunami and then the nuclear near-melt-down that hit Japan in the past week. What exactly happened at the Fukishima nuclear reactor, we were wondering. The Green Times attended a talk at the University of … [Read more...]
To nuke or not to nuke…
As ancient and unprecedented as nuclear energy is in the history of controversial technology debates, knowledge of nuclear power and its potentially disastrous effects has always remained so atrociously obscure to me that I would often find myself on the nod-and-listen end of any intelligent discussions on the matter. I remembered some things about radioactivity from the … [Read more...]
Join the nuclear protest at Eskom!
The nuclear crisis at Japan's Fukushima plant has added to the massive damage and loss of life resulting from a devastating earthquake and a tsunami. This nuclear crisis is already being considered as the second worst nuclear accident in history, since Chernobyl. The economic, health, and environmental costs of this accident will be staggering. The Japanese government has … [Read more...]
