Civil Society opposes Koeberg life extension plan on Fukushima anniversary

Friday marks 11 years since the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan.

The cause of the disaster was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami that occurred on this day 11 years ago.

The Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute (SAFCEI) has used the Fukushima anniversary to register its opposition against plans to extend the lifespan of the Koeberg Nuclear station.

Eskom cannot be trusted to maintain Koeberg

Last week, Eskom announced that it was delaying planned maintenance on Koeberg’s Unit 2 steam generator because it wasn’t fully prepared to carry out the full schedule without delays.

The building to house the old generator wasn’t completed on time and the power utility decided that it would return the steam generator back to service in June, in time for winter.

“It is just more evidence that citizens should be concerned about Eskom’s nuclear management and readiness,” said SAFCEI.

SAFCEI points out the parastatal not only increased the price of electricity but that taxpayers are footing the bill to fly in international contractors when Eskom was not ready.

NNR and Peter Becker

The dismissal of community representative Peter Beaker from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) is also a concern for SAFCEI.

“There seems to be a worrying culture of secrecy around Koeberg, which was brought into sharper focus when the communities’ representative Peter Becker was dismissed by the Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, last week,” said the organisation.

The organisation has also raised questions around the removal of Koeberg’s general manager, saying the public received no real information about this.

It also slammed the NNR for green-lighting the maintenance project without checking that all the safety requirements were met.

“In October 2020, members of the SAFCEI team requested to be part of Koeberg’s 2-yearly emergency drill but was denied participation,” said SAFCEI’s Executive Director of Francesca de Gasparis. 

SAFCEI recently highlighted that without a community representative on the NNR board, which is required by law, the public’s concerns cannot be raised or dealt with. 

It said the need for meaningful public participation is particularly important since the nuclear power plant, which is at the end of its life span, should be heading for decommissioning and permanently closing down in 2024. 

“Yet there still seems to be major and costly projects being planned, with no agreement for life extension and no public participation or consultation process, and approval from the NNR is still pending?” asked de Gasparis.

Becker has since confirmed that he intends to challenge his dismissal through the courts.

Remember Fukushima and Chernobyl

Friday marks Fukushima’s 11th anniversary and the organisation said it was important to remember how dangerous nuclear energy can be.

“This disaster should serve as a constant reminder that the management of a nuclear power plant is, by implication, a very meticulous job, and that maintenance and repairs must be planned and adhered to way in advance,” said de Gasparis. 

“However, even in Japan, an unexpected natural disaster wreaked devastating havoc with the loss of thousands of lives and erased the local economy of the nearby towns and cities due to radiation,” he added. 

Communities near Koeberg at great risk

De Gasparis points out there was seismic activity (earthquakes) recorded near the Koeberg Plant in 2020.

There is also a considerably higher population around the plant than compared to the 1970s when the plant was built.

These factors together with rising sea levels and extreme weather due to climate change is a recipe for disaster should things go pear-shaped at Koeberg. 

“This has increased the need for more comprehensive health and safety planning and engagement with affected communities, which we do not believe Eskom and the NNR are taking seriously enough,” adds de Gasparis.

Eskom underestimated its responsibilities with Koeberg.

“Knowledge of past nuclear power plant disasters seems to have escaped Eskom and Koeberg, which went into this project wholly unprepared for the risks and not prepared to contain the radioactive steam generators,” said de Gasparis. 

“The steam generators, once removed, are highly radioactive and require very specific safe storage conditions,” said de Gasparis.

In the event of a radioactive fallout due to a natural disaster or human error, the risks are as follows:

• 5km radius: people in this area would be at highest risk for radiation exposure.
• 16km radius: people could potentially be harmed by direct radiation exposure.
• 80km radius: radioactive materials may contaminate water supplies, crops and livestock.

Nuclear needs transparency when it comes to our lives

Members of civil society are calling on the government to be more transparent about its plans with nuclear energy, in the interest of public safety. 

“We are also urging the minister to reinstate Peter Becker as the community representative on the NNR Board.

“The minister may not like that he is anti-nuclear however the public must be represented and who would better to ask the right questions for our safety than someone who is sceptical of nuclear as a necessary energy source,” said SAFCEI 

The community representative’s role is to keep the government on its toes as they make plans for this dangerous and outdated technology. 

“The question is if South Africans had all the safety information and knew the true costs they would pay, would the public really want to extend the life of this old nuclear power plant so it can run for another 20 years when there are other energy systems that are far quicker to get off the ground and less costly, and quite frankly less risky?” asks de Gasparis. 

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