ESKOM’S MONEY-HUNGRY MONSTER: PBMR PTY
The design for the PBMR nuclear reactor originated in Germany, but was found to have flaws and a growing environmental movement shut down Germany’s nuclear power industry. Unfortunately, Eskom went right ahead and bought the rights to the PBMR design in 1993 and helped to create the financial monster “PBMR Pty”.
According to Jaco Kriek, CEO for PBMR Pty: “the upfront costs for the technology are very large; we have over 50 PhDs in this company.”
And these modest PhDs have certainly been cleaning up financially. Earthlife Africa have taken the issue to court, stating that PBMR Pty have withheld information about higher-than-projected costs for the project. And yet each year, the government has continued to grant millions and millions of taxpayers’ rands to PBMR Pty.
PBMR Pty stated that they plan to export nuclear reactors to developed and developing markets, including other countries in Europe and Africa but economist, Professor Steve Thomas says this planning was flawed. Thomas said that PBMR failed to take into account the fact that financial institutions (including the World Bank) would not invest in nuclear programmes and third world nations would never be able to afford nuclear programmes without financial aid.
Aside from the millions devoured by the PBMR monster, there are still unanswered questions about nuclear-waste and terrorism. Parliaments in the European Union remain deadlocked as to where they should site a deep waste depository for radioactive material and the United States plan to bury all their waste at Yucca mountain has also stalled. Nobody wants radioactive waste, yet South Africa wants to create more?
As to the terrorism issue, the International Atomic Energy Union is apparently collaborating with the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa (Necsa) as to what safety measures to employ in case terrorists target Koeberg during the 2010 World Cup. Most people would say that prevention is better than cure and it would be better for South Africa not to have a nuclear monster than to deal with its mess. But there are other people that seem to have a vested interest in making sure the nuclear programme continues and in the process, they may take the rest of the country down with them.
Yours sincerely
INGELA RICHARDSON
