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Envi
ronment Minister Valli Moosa says evaluating the appeals he has
received against both the construction of a prototype Pebble Bed
Modular Reactor (PBMR) in the Western Cape and the building of a
new toll road along the Wild Coast will take time.
This follows positive Records of Decision by his department last
year in favour of the two separate projects.
Briefing the media at Parliament on Thursday, Moosa said he had
received a number of appeals against both projects.
"I have these on my desk. You will understand they are rather
involved and complicated matters to attend to," he said, when asked
when a decision could be expected.
"I can assure you that the appeals I have received are voluminous,
detailed, technical, and not the sort I could, in the course of one
afternoon, just dispose of.
"These will take time -- I will need to give proper attention to
them, and take into account the depth of feeling on both
sides."
Moosa said he was unable, at this stage, to say when the process
would be completed.
The PBMR project involves the construction of a revolutionary
"mini" nuclear reactor at Koeberg near Cape Town, and an associated
fuel plant at Pelindaba near Pretoria.
The N2 toll road project, which is being fiercely opposed by green
organisations, will see 80km of the route running through the
centre of a global botanic hotspot.
Responding to a question on what was happening with the possible
granting of mining rights -- to extract heavy metals from dune
sands -- along the Eastern Cape's Pondoland coast, Moosa said this
was in the hands of the department of minerals and energy.
He had received an assurance from Minerals and Energy Minister
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka that she would not proceed in the matter
"without consulting me".
"She has not, as we speak, placed any proposal before me for my
consideration," Moosa said.
An Australian mining company is reported to be seeking permission
to extract titanium minerals from the dunes - Sapa