[DEBATE] : Fw: Report raises Koeberg safety concerns

[Bryan Ashe]

> Report raises Koeberg safety concerns      Melanie Gosling
>          August 17 2006 at 07:19AM
>
>      Eskom has been slammed for its negligence, poor maintenance and bad
> management, which led to a spate of power failures in the Western Cape, 
> and
> the public has expressed fears of the increased risk of a nuclear accident
> on the doorstep of the city.
>
>      Reacting to findings in the report by the National Energy Regulator 
> of
> South Africa (Nersa) released on Tuesday, members of the public have also
> queried whether Eskom should be allowed to build yet another nuclear power
> station at Koeberg - the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR).
>
>      They have said if the staff cannot do the job properly, Eskom must 
> get
> new staff.
>
>
>
>
>      The environmental NGO Earthlife Africa said it was "appalled" by the
> Nersa report.
>
>            'Eight months after the start of the problems'
>      "Safety at a nuclear power station is of the highest concern. The
> potential for accidents and the consequences of such accidents have been
> well illustrated by events at Chernobyl and in the US and Japan," Maya
> Aberman of Earthlife said.
>
>      "It is shocking that this information is coming to light eight months
> after the start of the problems at Koeberg. How many more mistakes before
> Koeberg's licence is suspended?" she asked.
>
>      Aberman also found it alarming that Nersa had made these discoveries,
> and not the National Nuclear Regulator.
>
>      Angela Andrews, the Legal Resources Centre attorney representing
> Earthlife in litigation against Eskom around its proposed PBMR, said a
> recent seminar in Cape Town on disaster management had shown that key 
> causes
> of disasters were human error and bad management.
>
>      "If the Nersa report shows there is already human error and 
> negligence
> at Koeberg's nuclear reactor, can Eskom guarantee the safety of 
> Capetonians?
> Do they have an evacuation plan? And what is the value of Eskom's claim 
> that
> the proposed PBMR nuclear power plant is 'walk-away safe', if it is human
> error, and not the technology, which causes accidents? This report makes a
> mockery of their assurances," Andrews said.
>
>      Albert Schuitmaker, of the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and
> Industry, said Nersa's report raised "grave concerns" about Eskom's 
> ability
> to manage the province's electricity infrastructure. Schuitmaker added 
> that
> Nersa's plan of fining Eskom was "puzzling", saying the money would be
> better spent on staff training and generating new power capacity for the
> Cape.
>
>      Hendrik Schmidt, of the Democratic Alliance, agreed that monetary
> fines would not be effective. "Instead pressure should be applied on Eskom
> to hold the responsible individuals accountable."
>
>