NUCLEAR POWER - IS THIS THE ENERGY SOLUTION FOR AFRICA

A woman gathering firewood

"We assemble ambitions faster than solutions. At the outset of the 21^st Century high on the lists of global ambitions compiled, for example …the eradication of poverty and hunger, universal access to plentiful fresh water and energy and environmental sustainability. The world is not on target to meet any of these objectives. We have not yet committed the time, effort and money they require. And while it has proved relatively easy to marginally adjust our business as usual plans towards these ambitions and call that progress, it much harder to identify a clear long term vision that meets these ambitions, calculate what is required to get there from here and then follow through."

Nuclear Power in the 21^st Century and Its Role in Developing Countries
Yury A. Sokolov, Vladimir S. Kagramanyan and Alan McDonald
Department of Nuclear Energy, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria

The world in the 21^st century is bound towards a period of renewed interest and growth in nuclear energy, driven by rising oil prices, increasing demand for electricity, continual plant modernization, and low emissions of greenhouse gases. At the same time on top of the agenda is energy security. Energy security taken literally means the need to be secure in energy in terms of the source i.e. where it comes from, control of the flow and distribution of that energy.



The importance of modern energy sources in Africa cannot be be over emphasized as it is the nucleus of socio-economic development globally. A large number of Africans depend on charcoal and firewood reflecting the comparatively low level of industrialisation in Africa.
To move out of this phase will require substantial increase in cost effective and affordable energy sources, that are environmentally friendly and ensure social equability and sustainability. Africa is the smallest consumer of primary energy in the world and therefore per Capita primary energy needs to be increased in order for Africa to be competitive.

Nuclear Energy in Africa: Nuclear power generation contributes to the global electricity mix by providing over 16% of world electricity.Currently South Africa has the only nuclear power plant on the continent of Africa. South Africa has two nuclear reactors generating 6% of its electricity. Its first commercial nuclear power reactor began operating in 1984.

Government commitment to the future of nuclear energy is strong.South Africa's rapidly dwindling coal reserves mean the country may need a source of cleaner, better energy by as early as 2008. The government insists that nuclear power could play a crucial role in South Africa's future energy mix. Although South Africa's coal reserves are vast - they are measured in billions of tons - fossil fuels do not last forever, and South Africa's are rapidly depleting. South Africa's interest in nuclear power is part of a growing, albeit tentative, international trend, and comes amid forecasts that the global demand for energy will double in the next 25-30 years. More and more governments are now exploring the possibility of nuclear energy for the first time since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. However, the future of the country's energy would involve private-sector involvement in the construction of power stations and nuclear power facilities. This has proved to be a difficult task to secure a credible and stable international partner who is prepared to stick around. Coupled with this are objections to the government's nuclear programme from environmental lobbyists. South Africa is planning to build a second nuclear reactor.

A CLOSER LOOK AT A NUCLEAR REACTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA

ESKOM the South Africa electricity utility, operates a 2 unit site at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station near Capetown. Koeberg Power Station is the only nuclear power station on the African continent. It is situated at Duynefontein, 30km northwest of Cape Town in South Africa on the Atlantic coast. Koeberg ensures a reliable supply of electricity to the Western Cape one of the fastest growing regions in South Africa. It has operated safely for more than 21 years and efficiently for a decade and has a further active life of 30 - 40 years.

The stations' two reactors supply 1 800MW or 6 of South Africa's electricity needs. Koeberg has produced more than 81 000 million kWh of electricity since 1984 using seven and a half tonnes of uranium. Koeberg is surrounded by a 3000 ha private game reserve owned by Eskom, containing more than 150 species of birds and half a dozen small mammal species. Low and intermediate level waste from Koeberg is transported by road in steel and concrete containers to a remote disposal site at Vaalputs, 600km away in the Kalahari Desert.

High level waste, the spent fuel, is stored on site in special pools equipped with high-density racking. Koeberg ranks amongst the safest of the world’s top-ranking PWR’s of its vintage and is vital for grid stability in the Cape.

During 2002, Koeberg was awarded NOSCAR status for the 7th consecutive year by the National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA).

Koeberg's two reactor containment buildings are made of concrete 1m thick, lined with steel. They are designed to ensure that no radiation escapes under any conceivable circumstances, from an earthquake to a jumbo jet collision.

Inside the nuclear reactor facilities

NUCLEAR ENERGY HOPES IN THE REST OF AFRICA

EGYPT
The son of Egypt's president Gamal Mubarak urged his father's party to consider a proposal to develop nuclear energy.

"We will continue using our natural energy resources, but we should conserve these resources for our future generations. The whole world is looking at alternative energy — so should Egypt — including nuclear,"
Gamal Mubarak told party members gathered in Cairo. More Information

LIBYA: A nuclear power agreement with the United States will be signed shortly. Libya's official news agency says the US will help build a nuclear power plant for electricity and civil uses. An anonymous US official downplayed development on BBC on March 2007. Libya wants to use nuclear energy to tackle projected water shortages. More information

ZIMBABWE: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe shocked the world in November 2006 when he announced Zimbabwe had discovered deposits of uranium, saying the country would move to explore possibilities of turning to nuclear energy. Many have wondered if indeed Zimbabwe has the capacity and financial resources for such a project. Mugabe said his nation would use newly discovered uranium deposits to produce nuclear power to boost energy supplies adding that the government has no intention of producing nuclear weapons.

URANIUM

What is Uranium

• Uranium is a very heavy (dense) metal which can be used as an abundant source of concentrated energy.

• It occurs in most rocks in concentrations of 2 to 4 parts per million and is as common in the Earth's crust as tin, tungsten and molybdenum. It occurs in seawater, and could be recovered from the oceans if prices rose significantly.

• It was discovered in 1789 by Martin Klaproth, a German chemist, in the mineral called pitchblende. It was named after the planet Uranus, which had been discovered eight years earlier.

• Uranium was apparently formed in super novae about 6.6 billion years ago. While it is not common in the solar system, today its slow radioactive decay provides the main source of heat inside the earth, causing convection and continental drift.

• The high density of uranium means that it also finds uses in the keels of yachts and as counterweights for aircraft control surfaces (rudders and elevators), as well as for radiation shielding.

• Its melting point is 1132°C. The chemical symbol for uranium is U.

• South Africa, Namibia and Niger are the three African countries currently ranked among the 10 leading global producers of uranium.
  

The Langer Heinrich Uranium Mine located in the west of central Namibia, Southern Africa.

MORE INFORMATION FROM AUSTRALIAN URANIUM ASSOCIATION LTD

IS THIS POVERTY?

The concept of poverty according to different organizations such as the UN includes different dimensions of deprivation. In general, it is the inability of people to be able to meet economic, social and other standards of well-being. The multi dimensionality of poverty is now widely accepted. It covers measures of absolute poverty such as child and infant mortality rates, and relative poverty, as defined by the differing standards of each society.

2.8 billion people most of them in developing countries still live on less than $2 a day. Of these, 1.2 billion earn less than $1 a day and are hungry. The poor are relentlessly fighting for survival each day, as they are victims of drought, illness, chronic financial hardship, collapse of world market prices of their cash crops, conflict just to mention a few.

Most poor people in the world as reported to reside in sub-Saharan Africa and poverty is constantly rising within this region.

Poverty as a result of conflict

To reduce poverty in the long term, all types of interventions should be integrated in a global framework that create synergy and, therefore, is able to tackle all forms of poverty. A number of challenges for poverty reduction in African countries still need to be addressed. Well-focused programs need to be developed so that the poor are better targeted of the delivery of services.

Further reading:
Jeffrey Sachs, “The End of Poverty” Penguin, 2005