Nuclear, this is the way of the future and AGS will benefit in the not to distant future. Recent editorials - news snippets from mining news -
Published 20 Nov 07
State power utility Eskom has now officially started commercial negotiations with selected vendors for its proposed nuclear programme, which could involve the building of up to 20 000 MW of atomic-energy capacity by 2025.
Eskom Enterprises MD Brian Dames has told Engineering News that the utility will seek to conclude commercial negotiations with either Areva, of France, or Toshiba’s Westinghouse, of the US (both short-listed a few months back) before making a final investment decisions in early 2008.
Entering commercial talks ahead of board sanction is a new approach for Eskom, which has hitherto only proceeded with such discussions on garnering final approvals. But Dames, who has overall responsibility for the R200-billion-plus build programme currently under way, says the model has been adopted in a bid to gain clarity on pricing.
The roll-out could result in nuclear comprising up to a half of the 40 000 MW of new generation capacity to be added by Eskom by 2025. Should such a scenario evolve, coal’s footprint would fall to 70% of the overall energy mix, while nuclear’s contribution could rise to 15% by that date. At present, coal makes up nearly 90% of the mix and nuclear 5%.
The pressure-water reactor (PWR) offerings of either Areva and Westinghouse would dominate any new investment plan, but the next-generation pebble-bed modular reactor, in which Westinghouse also has a stake, could be incorporated later, once the technology is fully proved.
Eskom’s future nuclear plants will be based on the Koeberg design. They will be pressurised water reactors. We have started the approval process and the commercial process is under way with vendors, Dames tells Engineering News.
The PWR technology is preferred, given the fact that it is not only proved, but that China, Finland and France are currently deploying it, while the US has also signed agreements to restart a nuclear-energy construction programme.
Five sites are being considered, including Oyster Bay, Peraly Beach, Bantamsklip, the current Koeberg site, and Kleinzee, and environmental-approval processes are under way.
There is likely to be stiff opposition from some antinuclear and environmental groups, which believe the technology to be fundamentally flawed and dangerous. Others have argued that Eskom has simply not given the same level of attention to other carbon-free alternatives, such as large-scale wind and solar power before embarking on an atomic-energy course.
However, Eskom argues that, while nuclear is expensive to build, it is vastly cheaper to operate, and, at this stage, provides the only true low-carbon alternative to coal.
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