Lessons from new coal stations will help in nuclear build, says Eskom
Power utility Eskom maintains that while constructing a fleet of nuclear power stations would be costly for SA, the running expenses would be lower than if other energy sources were used.The government was pushing for the construction of nuclear power plants to add 9,600MW to the national grid.Critics argue that the country cannot afford a nuclear build programme.The issue has become part of the proxy war pitting Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan against President Jacob Zuma.Opponents of the proposed nuclear build programme say more nuclear power stations will cost more than a trillion rand and that, based on cost overruns during the construction of previous power stations, SA cannot afford nuclear energy.However, the government now says the Treasury will not be required to fund such a programme, and that Eskom’s balance sheet could support the construction of new nuclear power stations.At the weekend, Eskom maintained it had "learnt significant lessons" from its current new build pro...
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