What is nuclear to you? Is it Bush’s ‘new killer’? A history text on the Cold War? What you’ve pieced together from newspapers on ‘weapons of mass destruction’ or simply Homer Simpson’s job? Maybe you’re convinced that nuclear power is the way of the future, and the ultimate solution to South Africa’s power crisis?
It has come to light that Eskom plans to build a Pebble Bed Modular Reactor at Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape, near Jeffreys Bay. That’s in our back yard. The question of nuclear power is still a hot button topic, with people on both sides of the fence vehement in either their support or objection to the proposal.  Support comes in the form of nuclear power advocates and Eskom itself, while some of those who’ve raised objections do so in light of the environmental, social and economic effects the plant may have on our province in general and this area in particular.
Some react on an emotional level, and with words like chain reaction, nuclear fission and critical mass bandied about, who can blame them? But there are as many measured arguments in support of nuclear power too.

What is nuclear power?
It was in the early nineteen forties that Fermi created the first self-sustaining nuclear reaction. The atom had finally been split. It had always been the holy grail of science – to split the atom would mean the generation of a chain reaction of potentially unlimited energy.  
When nuclear power is generated, uranium takes the place of coal and other fossil fuels that are generally used today. When the uranium atom is split, a phenomenal amount of energy is released, and this is called a nuclear reaction.

The good:

• It’s considered ‘clean’ power. With considerably lower carbon emissions compared to coal generated electricity, nuclear power is considered far, far greener.
• One plant can generate vast amounts of electricity. We all know South Africa’s facing a power crisis, and advocates of nuclear power say it’ll go a very long way towards easing the problem.
• Uranium is cheap to mine.

The bad:

• Nuclear power might be green but the mining of uranium is not.
• The threat of radiation accidents is all too real. Chernobyl casts a long shadow. Nuclear fall out can stretch for hundreds of kilometres, effectively leaving huge areas of land uninhabitable.
• The challenge of radioactive waste. To pose no threat to human health, radioactive waste has to be solidified in concrete and buried deep underground. Its proper management is vital.

The players:

Eskom. They own the land at Thyspunt that was earmarked for the building of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor as far back as the 1980s. Nuclear plants are usually sited along the coast as the sea water is used in cooling.
The Thyspunt Alliance. An amalgamation of local ratepayers, environmental and surfer concern groups who object to the building of the nuclear power station in this area. Though they are not necessarily opposed to nuclear power itself, they cite negative environmental, social and economic effects as their primary cause for concern.
Kouga residents. The seventeenth of July this year saw over two thousand Jeffreys Bay, St Francis and Oyster bay residents march against the planned Thyspunt nuclear plant. The Billabong Pro brought worldwide media attention to the area, as the world’s top surfers lent their support to the cause.
The Chokka industry. The siting of the nuclear plant along this coastline will potentially raise the temperature of the water by a couple of degrees. This will have an effect on the habitat and breeding of the chokka on what is reportedly a five hundred million rand industry.

Eskom’s take on the No-Go alternative:
Eskom does not consider the No-Go alternative to be an alternative at all. In other words, as far as this provider is concerned, South Africa has no option but to expand its nuclear capabilities. Eskom believes that for the power utility to meet the demands of the country for sufficient power, nuclear power generation meets our needs better than the current coal-fired generation of electricity.  

As we face petroleum supplies that are on their way out, alternatives energies are on the agenda. Nuclear power is heralded by interested parties as the solution. Whichever side of the fence we find ourselves on, the most important question is this: Do the benefits of nuclear power outweigh the risks, and are we prepared to take them?