Pelindaba: nuclear timebomb on Acquifer

Summary: Neither South Africa’s Pelindaba nuclear-enrichment plant near Pretoria nor Koeberg nuclear-power plant north of Cape Town have  any emergency evacuation plans. Yet these are two ticking nuclear timebombs: Pelindaba is built atop an acquifer, Koeberg straddles the increasingly active Augrabies fault line…

‘ Pelindaba: ticking nuclear timebomb on Acquifer’ -  By Cynthia Dreyer, editor,  Madibeng Pulse

• also: Koeberg nuclear power station and its nuclear industry: corrupt bullies

"The fact that Hartbeespoort is right in the firing line of Pelindaba’s nuclear facility has been brought home to local residents after images of the devastation the Tsunami in Japan caused last week with the resultant emergency at their Fukushima nuclear plant.

The “unthinkable” which happens there, caused governments worldwide to review their nuclear plants. Chancellor Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, ordered the immediate closure of elderly nuclear power stations. The horror of the partial nuclear meltdown in Japan which began last Thursday has resulted in some very pertinent questions about nuclear energy’s safety being asked of governments around the world and also in South Africa where there are plans to add 9 600 megawatts of nuclear to our power grid by 2030!

“Whereas nuclear emergencies could have been expected to happen elsewhere in the world, the last place it was expected was in Japan where the safety measures are the best. in the world, says the founder of the Coalition Against Nuclear Energy (CANE) and Co Ordinator of the Pelindaba Working Group, Ms Dominique Gilbert. She lives in Kalkheuvel and is a former employee of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa). “Pelindaba is a ticking time bomb built on a dolomitic aquifer complex which is subject to acid mine drainage from the West Rand mines” she told us. “Nuclear energy isn’t an alternative energy source, it’s not renewable, it’s a deadly source of power. We’ve repeatedly questioned Necsa about disaster management, which they say they have in place, but after questioning them repeatedly they admit that it’s impossible to evacuate people in the event of a crisis!

Necsa using millions to polish up their image
“Eskom has in the past 24 hours issued a statement that there is no risk from Koeberg in the Cape which is built on a fault line, but have admitted that it would be impossible to evacuate a city such as Cape Town.” To smooth things over, says Gilbert, Necsa has just signed a R3, 4 million contract with Saatchi (the advertising guru’s) to improve their image! “It’s using taxpayers’ money which could be used to finance epidemiology studies as a result of radiation!” she complained. Ms Gilbert told Madibeng Pulseyesterday that Pelindaba’s Safari One reactor is long past its “sell by” date but is being pushed hard to produce medical isotopes of which it is the biggest manufacturer in the world. There are plans to replace it with a new model, rather than closing it down and re looking at old technologies. “They just carry on extending its lifetime,” she said. Ms Gilbert says there are alternatives to producing the isotopes by other energy means but Necsa isn’t interested and they deny that there is any danger to the public.

Number of nuclear reactors is diminishing worldwide, but not in SA
Professor Dieter Holm of Hartbeespoort who is a world renowned expert on renewable energy agrees that nuclear energy is dangerous, non insurable and the taxpayer has to pay for any damage.

• In an interview with him last year he told MadibengPulse: “The number of nuclear reactors is diminishing in the world” he said.“We don’t even have a solution to the problem of nuclear waste and the problem of security is a real one. Meanwhile nuclear energy is providing only 4 % of our electricity but we are spending 23% of our energy costs on nuclear energy, and 90 % of these costs on research and development! It’s a misplaced investment. So it’s not lucrative in a developing country, besides which we do not have the expertise, we have to import it.”

Even though governments worldwide are re thinking nuclear energy, Eskom, according to the draft integrated resource plan 2010 released last year, stated that South Africa’s energy mix was set to comprise 14 percent nuclear energy by 2030! The final version of the plan is due next month. According to Dominique Gilbert, five nuclear reactors are planned on our coastline to be near to water for cooling, because production is water intensive.

“This is the result when you lose control!”
The problems at Fukushima in Japan have highlighted the fact that nuclear physics employs inherently risky technologies. “The problems at the core of a reactor are always going to be there. Once you lose control of a nuclear reaction, this is the result,”  Mike Kantey Chairman of CANE told Business Report on Tuesday after over 140,000 Japanese people near the nuclear meltdown were ordered to seal themselves indoors after the fire at the Fukushima escalated radiation levels.

NO CIVIL DEFENCE PLAN FOR KOEBERG OR PELINDABA:

MadibengPulse has asked Necsa for their civil defence plan and how they would communicate with the public in the event of a nuclear emergency, but have as yet received no reply, despite a reminder of our deadline. The Municipality is supposed to have a disaster management plan as well, according to former Mayor of Hartbeespoort, Mr Pieter Rautenbach. “When we had the Broederstroom Commando they were the ones who carried out emergency drills. They were evaluated annually by the Defence Force as to their readiness for action during an emergency, but the Commando’s have been disbanded and nothing has taken their place.”

Unless the Madibeng public gets up and voice their concerns, there will be no reaction or known civil defense plan provided to the public for a nuclear emergency with thorough communication of these plans to the public. “The public must stand up and take note, it’s right in our back yard,” says Gilbert. “Necsa’s counter propaganda is so big, this industry promotes itself all the time, and is full of lies,” but no one can wait for an emergency to arise, because then it will be too late!

• Comment by Cynthia Dreyer, Madibeng Pulse:
  One could have expected that information on Necsa’s plans for civil defense in emergencies would have been part of the “emergency” kit of their public relations people, to be supplied as soon as questions are asked. Yet, 72 hours after questioning Necsa on this, we have had no response. Is this an indication of its readiness in emergencies? – Editor. http://www.madibengpulse.co.za/?Task=system&CategoryID=31986&HeadingText=Environment+170311+pelindaba#NISSAN

South African nuclear industry corrupt bullies:

• Koeberg nuclear power station closes down two days after yet another Augrabies region earthquake  March 12 2011:  http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2011/03/sa-nuclear-industry-corrupt-bullies.html