PMFORUM Breaking News
Breaking News in the Project Management World
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
String of Nuclear Power Stations planned to alleviate power shortages in Southern Africa
Reported by Jaycee Kruger in South Africa
Eskom, the national power utility in South Africa, plans building up to six new nuclear power stations, and recently confirmed their requests to two foreign companies to bid for the building of what is planned to be the first of a series of new nuclear power stations.
The new power station, planned to be twice as powerful (around 7 000MW) as the existing and only nuclear power plant in South Africa, Koeberg near Cape Town will be the first of five or six that Eskom plans to build to solve the energy shortage in Southern Africa. Construction is due to start by 2010 and first power is expected by 2016. Tony Stott, an Eskom spokesman, confirmed that the company recently asked Areva, of France, which built Koeberg, and the US company Westinghouse to submit bids, due for evaluation during the first quarter of 2008, and if successful, receive approval from the South African department of environmental affairs by June
Nuclear reactors of the pressurized-water type similar to those at Koeberg, are apparently considered for five locations: Brazil and Schulpfontein, on the west coast of the Northern Cape; Duinefontein and Bantamsklip, on the Western Cape coast; and Thyspunt, near Oyster Bay, on the Eastern Cape coast. Environmental impact assessments would assume higher capacities for the power stations to give a large safety margin.
Eskom’s finance director, Mr. Bongani Nqwababa, was quoted in several recent reports as saying that the first new power station would cost up to US$ 18-billion.
The other type of nuclear reactor said to be safer than the pressurized-water type because of their design and the form of fuel they use under consideration for the new power stations is the pebble-bed. The reactors use graphite-sheathed balls of sparsely enriched uranium as fuel. Graphite slows the neutrons emitted in the reaction to the speed required for generating power and limits the temperature the reactor can reach if coolant is lost. Helium, an inert gas, is used to cool pebble-bed reactors. It will not react with the fuel or rust the reactor, further reducing risk.
Eskom the South African semi-government power utility has the vision "Together building the powerbase for sustainable growth and development." Eskom's new vision was developed to align itself with the capacity expansion era. More information is available at Eskom’s website http://www.eskom.co.za.
Eskom, the national power utility in South Africa, plans building up to six new nuclear power stations, and recently confirmed their requests to two foreign companies to bid for the building of what is planned to be the first of a series of new nuclear power stations.
The new power station, planned to be twice as powerful (around 7 000MW) as the existing and only nuclear power plant in South Africa, Koeberg near Cape Town will be the first of five or six that Eskom plans to build to solve the energy shortage in Southern Africa. Construction is due to start by 2010 and first power is expected by 2016. Tony Stott, an Eskom spokesman, confirmed that the company recently asked Areva, of France, which built Koeberg, and the US company Westinghouse to submit bids, due for evaluation during the first quarter of 2008, and if successful, receive approval from the South African department of environmental affairs by June
Eskom’s finance director, Mr. Bongani Nqwababa, was quoted in several recent reports as saying that the first new power station would cost up to US$ 18-billion.
The other type of nuclear reactor said to be safer than the pressurized-water type because of their design and the form of fuel they use under consideration for the new power stations is the pebble-bed. The reactors use graphite-sheathed balls of sparsely enriched uranium as fuel. Graphite slows the neutrons emitted in the reaction to the speed required for generating power and limits the temperature the reactor can reach if coolant is lost. Helium, an inert gas, is used to cool pebble-bed reactors. It will not react with the fuel or rust the reactor, further reducing risk.
Eskom the South African semi-government power utility has the vision "Together building the powerbase for sustainable growth and development." Eskom's new vision was developed to align itself with the capacity expansion era. More information is available at Eskom’s website http://www.eskom.co.za.
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