Eskom halted its nuclear bidding programme for Nuclear -1 in December last year.  Now, due to amendments to the environmental legislation, which are in progress, Eskom has applied to Water and Environmental Affairs to “sequentially construct” three nuclear power plants.

They are asking to be allowed to combine authorisations to develop Nuclear-1, Nuclear-2 and Nuclear-3 power stations at all three coastal sites earmarked for the nuclear development programme.

The three sites are, the Koeberg site of Dynefontein 30 km north of Cape Town, Bantamsklip near Pearly Beach in the Overstrand, and Thyspunt near Oyster Bay, in the Eastern Cape.

“Thus specialists will no longer be required to compare, rank and provide recommendations with respect to a single preferred site”, but will only compare different layouts and positioning of the plants on each site.

The application includes the “roll-out dates” for the first three power stations: site preparation for Nuclear-1 at Dynefontein would begin in January 2010 and come online in July 2018; site preparation for Nuclear-2 at Bantamsklip would commence in January 2013 and come online in July 2020 and site preparation for Nuclear-3 at Thyspunt would start in January 2015 and come online in July 2022.