Parliament, 22 June: South Africa needs to wake up to the fact that its coal reserves are not infinite, and the use of nuclear power to produce electricity in the future is unavoidable, Minerals and Energy Minister Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said on Tuesday [22 June].

Opening debate on her budget vote in the National Assembly, she told MPs nuclear power would help the country "increase (its) energy diversity, security of supply, and reduce energy related emission levels because it is a cleaner burning fuel".

South Africa has one nuclear power station, located at Koeberg on the West Coast, about 27km north of Cape Town. The plant's two reactors supply 1850MW or 6.5 per cent of the country's electricity needs. Most of the rest (92 per cent) is produced by coal-burning power stations, located mainly in Mpumalanga and Gauteng. This heavy reliance on coal for electricity generation makes the local energy sector a major source of greenhouse gas emissions.

"South Africa needs to wake up to the reality that we do not have infinite coal reserves," Mlambo-Ngcuka said. In fact, the country had less reserves of coal than previously thought. "In addition to coal, nuclear energy will increase as an energy option for South Africa for the foreseeable future. We do not have oil or gas, so we cannot avoid nuclear energy," she said. The local nuclear industry's safety record was "highly commendable".

"Koeberg power station has undergone a successful peer review process conducted by the World Association of Nuclear Operations. We came tops. As you know, in the 20 years Koeberg has operated, we have never had an accident," she said.

On plans to build a prototype Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR), she said cabinet had endorsed a five-to-10-year plan "to grow a critical research and skills base to support the PBMR programme and a sustainable nuclear industry in South Africa".

"As you may be aware, PBMR is poised to respond to the invitation to bid for building a reactor system in the US, which will produce both electricity and (be) used as a heat source for hydrogen production. In inviting the bids, my counterpart in the US indicated that the system must be safer, small and flexible, which the PBMR meets," she said.

On the use of renewable sources of energy, Mlambo-Ngcuka said South Africa was aiming to produce five per cent of its energy requirements from renewables - including wind, solar and hydropower - by 2013.