/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

All eyes were on Minister Gwede Mantashe today to see what he had to say about nuclear power issues as he presented the budget for his Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). In a surprising move, he did not mention the subject.

However, last week on 12 May addressing the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), Mantashe responded to questions about the Koeberg nuclear power plant. According to academics, activists and organisations, Mantashe’s answers contained disinformation that implied that Koeberg’s 20-year life extension is approved, and that the cost of the electricity it produces is a fraction of what it actually is.

Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) Parliamentary Advisor, Liz McDaid, says, “The nuclear industry has never been associated with transparency. Nevertheless it was surprising that despite the fact that 14% of the DMRE budget is spent on nuclear power related issues, the minister did not mention the word nuclear once in his 45 minute speech.”

Mantashe’s previous inaccuracies

When answering a question from the floor last week on 12 May, Mantashe stated that electricity from Koeberg costs 40c per kWh. Eskom’s own presentation in March 2021 estimated that the cost of electricity from Koeberg will be five times higher at R2 per kWh.

Mantashe also spoke about the proposed life extension of Koeberg as if it was a done deal, saying it is “well underway”, whereas Eskom has not even applied yet to the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) for a licence to do so.

When asked directly about the safety implications of the deterioration of Koeberg’s containment buildings, Mantashe said he is “hoping that it will continue to be safe”. But when asked if he would take responsibility for the plant being safe, he was quick to pass on that responsibility to the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE).

Mantashe also described Koeberg as reliable, skipping over the fact that one of the two reactors has been out of commission since January, and both reactors have only been working for 70% of the time over their lifetime.

Koeberg’s electricity costs in dispute

During a presentation in March 2021, Eskom presented a slide representing energy costs from a German study, with an overlay showing that Koeberg will produce electricity at R2000/MWh. This is equivalent to R2/kWh, five times higher than the 40c quoted by Mantashe on Wednesday.

“Why does the minister find it necessary to give incorrect information about the costs of Koeberg?” asks Koeberg Alert Alliance spokesperson, Peter Becker. “If nuclear power was really cheap and safe, why not just tell the truth?”

Issued by OUTA