Environment 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