Public perception plays a major role in formulating policy and one of the objectives of the third yearly Nuclear Forum, which is due to take place on May 19, will be to devise ways of educating the public on nuclear power, says nuclear physicist and CEO of Stratek Business Strategy Consultants Dr Kelvin Kemm.

Nuclear Forum 3, which will take place in Kempton Park, will address a number of questions that remain to be resolved as South Africa embarks on a nuclear energy expansion programme, in the wake of the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

Governments around the world are rethinking nuclear plans after the devastating March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, which damaged Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Kemm says another discussion at the Nuclear Forum will be the capital cost of nuclear power in South Africa, which remains high.

The forum takes place in the context of a dramatic growth in global energy and electricity consumption over the last number of years – a trend that will continue, especially as developing regions like Africa, China and India increase energy consumption to fuel economic growth and alleviate poverty.

South Africa has declared its intention of doubling electricity production in the near future. With world sentiment aimed at curtailing the use of fossil fuels, nuclear energy remains the only clean, reliable source of base-load electricity.

“The public needs to be accurately informed on nuclear issues, so as to facilitate open and meaningful public participation in energy provision discussion,” says Kemm.

“The Fukushima incident underlines the need for a powerful and reasoned approach to the important issue of nuclear power.”