By Nasreen Seria
May 7 (Bloomberg) -- Areva SA, the world’s biggest builder of nuclear reactors, is “confident” South Africa will revive a plan to build a nuclear plant this year, said Mohammed Madhi, chairman of the company’s local operations.
“If it’s restarted this year, it’s expected that South Africa can still meet its energy needs without major problems by 2018,” which is how long it will take to build a nuclear plant, Madhi said yesterday in an interview in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Eskom Holdings Ltd., South Africa’s state-owned power utility, canceled a plan to build a nuclear plant last year because of costs. Eskom is building two coal-fired power plants to boost capacity and prevent a repeat of blackouts that shut mines and factories for five days in January 2008.
“Whatever the considerations were in the past, what is clear today is that the supply-demand situation in electricity is such that the country has no option but to go nuclear,” Madhi said. “We can’t have more coal-fired power stations, we need nuclear.”
Eskom secured a $3.75 billion loan from the World Bank to build the 4,800 megawatt Medupi coal-fired plant, which was opposed by the U.S. and some environmental groups because it may add to global warming. South Africa already has one nuclear plant, at Koeberg, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province.
Areva expects South Africa’s integrated resources plan, due for completion in the third quarter, to include nuclear projects, Madhi said. “We’re fairly confident that nuclear will be part of that energy mix,” he said. “Once the plan has been made public, we expect the government to make a decision fairly rapidly thereafter on the path it will follow for nuclear.”
‘Best Solutions’
Areva is also ready to build a 100-megawatt solar project that Eskom is close to finalizing in the Northern Cape province, Madhi said.
“Given South Africa’s radiation profile, its climate, it certainly is a huge area of opportunity,” he said. “If you look at South Africa’s energy needs, nuclear and solar represent probably the best solutions for the country going forward.”
South Africa has the potential to generate 58,000 megawatts of solar power, Barry McColl, technology strategy and planning manager for the Eskom’s research and innovation unit, said on Oct. 12.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aex1c7QwbJQY&pid=20601087
May 7 (Bloomberg) -- Areva SA, the world’s biggest builder of nuclear reactors, is “confident” South Africa will revive a plan to build a nuclear plant this year, said Mohammed Madhi, chairman of the company’s local operations.
“If it’s restarted this year, it’s expected that South Africa can still meet its energy needs without major problems by 2018,” which is how long it will take to build a nuclear plant, Madhi said yesterday in an interview in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Eskom Holdings Ltd., South Africa’s state-owned power utility, canceled a plan to build a nuclear plant last year because of costs. Eskom is building two coal-fired power plants to boost capacity and prevent a repeat of blackouts that shut mines and factories for five days in January 2008.
“Whatever the considerations were in the past, what is clear today is that the supply-demand situation in electricity is such that the country has no option but to go nuclear,” Madhi said. “We can’t have more coal-fired power stations, we need nuclear.”
Eskom secured a $3.75 billion loan from the World Bank to build the 4,800 megawatt Medupi coal-fired plant, which was opposed by the U.S. and some environmental groups because it may add to global warming. South Africa already has one nuclear plant, at Koeberg, near Cape Town in the Western Cape province.
Areva expects South Africa’s integrated resources plan, due for completion in the third quarter, to include nuclear projects, Madhi said. “We’re fairly confident that nuclear will be part of that energy mix,” he said. “Once the plan has been made public, we expect the government to make a decision fairly rapidly thereafter on the path it will follow for nuclear.”
‘Best Solutions’
Areva is also ready to build a 100-megawatt solar project that Eskom is close to finalizing in the Northern Cape province, Madhi said.
“Given South Africa’s radiation profile, its climate, it certainly is a huge area of opportunity,” he said. “If you look at South Africa’s energy needs, nuclear and solar represent probably the best solutions for the country going forward.”
South Africa has the potential to generate 58,000 megawatts of solar power, Barry McColl, technology strategy and planning manager for the Eskom’s research and innovation unit, said on Oct. 12.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?sid=aex1c7QwbJQY&pid=20601087
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