Like many developing countries, South Africa is struggling to meet growing energy needs yet avoid deepening Earth's carbon crisis, one of the many dilemmas besetting the UN climate talks, which resume in Glasgow on 31 October.
Parliament’s mineral resources and energy oversight committee was told on Thursday that work on a roadmap for a new nuclear build programme would start soon.
Former Botswana President Ian Khama said that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is determined to resolve the issues around Eskom.
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe said coal would continue to play a significant role in electricity generation, but new investments would be directed towards more efficient technologies.
President Cyril Ramaphosa put on hold plans by his predecessor Jacob Zuma for a massive nuclear project last year because of fears it could collapse the economy, but senior officials have since indicated that plans for new nuclear haven’t been shelved entirely.
Releasing the long-awaited draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) on Monday, Energy Minister Jeff Radebe announced that, instead, renewable energy will be the key focus over the next decade.
Paul Mashatile said the government would not take the 'Big Bang approach' to nuclear expansion.
Recent announcements about Russian and American nuclear arsenals have stoked fears that the two largest nuclear powers are once again engaged in a potlatch-style contest.
Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene confirmed that nuclear plans will remain on the table but will only be implemented at a pace the country can afford.
Deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, who is next in line to lead the country, told reporters at the World Economic Forum that South Africa can't afford to build a nuclear plant.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says SA's economic position in relation to nuclear needs to be looked at in the context of affordability.
There is a sense of déjà vu among nuclear pessimists that nuclear developments in China, India, and Pakistan could produce similar outcomes.
Israel is widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies it.
President Jacob Zuma says radical economic transformation is necessary for the energy sector.
Energy Minister David Mahlobo and Eskom have given their undertaking to the Western Cape High Court that no nuclear power will be procured without a lawful determination by the minister.
In a written reply to Parliament, Energy Minister David Mahlobo has reiterated that there's no nuclear energy deal and that he is not looking to expedite one.
Demonstrators demanded a meeting with the chairperson of the energy portfolio committee.
Energy Minister David Mahlobo says he wants the revised integrated resource plan, which maps the country’s energy needs into the future, to go before Cabinet as soon as possible.
