The City of Cape Town is not prepared to approve the revised study plan to build a new nuclear plant at Koeberg without the critical issues of residents’ safety in a nuclear emergency and the removal of high-tech nuclear waste, being addressed.

The mayoral committee member for finance, Ian Neilson said,” As a city, we reject the responses from the environmental consultants. We have highlighted the critical issues and these must be included as conditions before any approval is given.”

The city council submitted comment of the scope of the report last year.

Mr Neilson said he was concerned that a ‘record of decision’ would be granted without being subjected to any conditions.

The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the legal requirements necessary before approval can be granted.

Neilson said that the responses from the consultants responsible for the EIA, Arcus Gibbs, were unacceptable.

The development of a pressurised water reactor nuclear power station at one of five sites in the Northern, Western and Southern Cape was proposed by Eskom in 2007 with Duinefontein or Koeberg being one of the preferred sites.

The final report was approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism but called for a revised study plan for the EIA.

The revised plan, which includes Eskom’s decision to have one EIA process for a fleet of nuclear power stations at the three sites, has been opened for public comment.

Neilson said there was cause for concern as the revised plan did not give Eskom the responsibility for removing nuclear waste from the site.

When asked about safety measures, the consultant said it was “an issue that National Nuclear Regulator (NRI) would have to address.”

Any external costs in connection with emergency planning would need to be agreed by the city council, the NNR and Eskom once the emergency plan was finalised.

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