The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has advised that his department will be more transparent in future, following the incidents at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station earlier this month.
Last week, the National Nuclear Regulator confirmed to SmileFM that there were three incidents of “elevated airborne radioactive contamination” on 30 June, 2 July and 7 July, due to a power outage affecting ventilation units.
READ MORE: No cause for public concern, after Koeberg radiation incidents, says NNR – Smile 90.4FM
These incidents were contained in the Unit 2 building, with no impact on the public or the environment, the regulator said.
During a briefing at Tshedimosetso House in Pretoria on Sunday, Ramokgopa said he understood the public’s anxiety around news of the incidents, but stressed that there was no need for concern.
“Koeberg has been able to operate in a safe, efficient, reliable manner for a period of 40 years plus with little to no incidents. It is our intention to ensure that we continue on that track, and how we go forward now we are going to ensure that there’s a great degree of transparency because we are now entering the next phase of nuclear generation in our country,” said Ramakgopa.
He added that the incidents were minor, and as such do not usually warrant a media briefing, but due to the heightened attention on the matter, he, alongside Eskom’s chair Mteto Nyati and Chief Nuclear Officer Velaphi Ntuli, opted to bring more clarity on the matter.
ALSO READ: Eskom – Safety systems operated as designed during Koeberg Unit 2 outage
At the same time, Ramokgopa said the government is continuing with plans to expand South Africa’s nuclear energy programme as part of its strategy to secure the country’s long-term electricity supply.
“As part of that plan, we asserted that we’re going to procure 5.2 gigawatts of nuclear build with the intention of having a nuclear industrialisation plan to support about 10 gigawatts of a nuclear programme. So, when matters of this nature come to the fore, that attempts to introduce some degree of uncertainty in relation to the safety and the safeguards around nuclear, we felt that it’s important that we should be able to stand before the country and the public and share with you what the true facts are.”
