The following  is mirrored with the permission of  Earthlife Africa from its
source at: http://www.earthlife.org.za/campaigns/PBMR_intro2.htm
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         An introduction to the
         Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) programme

         From the perspective of the Earthlife Africa Campaign of
         the Johannesburg and Cape Town branches

                       Nuclear Energy Costs the Earth

         Contents: page 1 :

              Introduction
              What is the PBMR programme?
              What is a Pebble Bed Modular Reactor?
              Justifications
              Risks
              Do we need PBMR?
              Export potential?

         Contents: page 2:

              Nuclear Power and Climate Change
              Policy and Process
              Renewable Energy & Socio-economic considerations
              Additional material

         -----------------------------------------------------------




         Nuclear Power and Climate Change:

         The nuclear industry is trying to sell itself as "clean"
         energy just because it compares favourably with fossil
         fuels in terms of the release greenhouse gasses,
         particularly Carbon Dioxide (CO2), that are causing
         potentially catastrophic global climate change.

         At its source of electricity production, nuclear power
         does not produce any CO2. However nuclear power does
         produce CO2 in its whole fuel cycle, particularly during
         the mining and enrichment of nuclear fuel as well as
         during its transport and eventual disposal.

         "The graph below, from the UK Royal Institute for
         International Affairs, shows that nuclear energy produces
         more CO2 than with renewable energy sources. ("Renewable
         Energy Strategies for Europe, Volume II, electricity
         systems and primary electricity sources", RIIA and
         Earthscan, London, 1997, Michael Grubb and Roberto
         Vigotti.)

                                  [graph]

         Furthermore, the difference in CO2 production between
         nuclear and renewable energy sources is likely to
         increase. If nuclear were to be considered as a serious
         option for reducing CO2 emissions then there would need to
         be a massive construction program for nuclear. This would
         result in an increasing rate of consumption of high-grade
         uranium ore.

         Consequently, lower grade uranium would have to be used,
         which would require significantly more energy to produce,
         which will increase the overall CO2 being produced by the
         nuclear fuel cycle.

         Estimates for the International Panel on Climate Change
         suggest that within the European Continent, 1000 reactors
         would need to be operational in 2100, six times the
         current level. This would require the construction of
         around 2000 reactors in the next century, i.e. the
         completion of 20 reactors per year.

         It is therefore impossible to imagine that nuclear power
         will ever play a significant role in reducing human impact
         on the world's climate." (Antony Froggatt, Nuclear Power -
         The End of the Road)

         Clearly we should aim to do better than addressing one
         problem, climate change, while introducing or increasing
         another, release of radioactivity and the creation of
         dangerous wastes.

         Even the World Bank, notorious for putting the interests
         of investors first, says that in developing countries
         "nuclear plants in the power sector would not be economic;
         they are large white elephants".




         Policy and Process

         An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of PBMR was
         announced in April of 1999, but was effectively suspended
         after registration of Interested and Affected Parties, as
         Eskom failed to approve release of an initial briefing
         document.

         This has afforded proponents the opportunity to try and
         canvas support, outside of a formal and accountable
         process. The consultants concerned believed that the
         process would start afresh in 2000 but as of February not
         even a Plan of Scoping had been formulated. The fact that
         Eskom has decided not to proceed with investigation of two
         of the three proposed sites for the `reference module',
         before formal consultation was initiated, has been claimed
         as a victory for public protest. It could be seen as an
         example of posturing and duplicity by Eskom, since it did
         not take place within the context of an EIA, which itself
         requires consideration of alternative sites as well as
         alternative technologies.

         The production of fuel for the PBMR will be considered in
         a separate EIA, on the basis that it is undertaken by a
         different public enterprise, a project of the Nuclear
         Energy Corporation of South Africa (NECSA), formerly the
         Atomic Energy Corporation (AEC). Correspondence from the
         Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has explicitly
         accepted the White Paper position that:

              decisions to construct future nuclear power
              stations will be taken within the context of an
              integrated energy planning process with due
              consideration given to all relevant legislation,
              and the process will be subject to structured
              participation and consultation with all
              stakeholders.

         Such an integrated energy planning process has been
         initiated but participation in the Steering Committee is
         "voluntary", i.e. only for parties who can pay their own
         way to meetings in Pretoria. Verbal presentations at the
         opening meeting suggest that sending out an invitation is
         considered to qualify as consultation.

         Since a second meeting of the industry-dominated Steering
         Committee has yet to be announced and the process is
         expected to be completed by year end, it will be severely
         compromised and of limited value. While there are some
         involved who will struggle to achieve meaningful data
         collection and scenario development to inform future
         decision-making, in the big picture it appears to be
         little more than window-dressing.

         The White Paper actually calls for aggressive development
         of renewable energy supply while providing only that the
         nuclear option should not be ruled out, but presidential
         favour for PBMR appears to be constraining efforts to give
         effect to this intent.

         In the mean time proponents bolster momentum by any means,
         including taking advantage of the failing regulatory
         mechanisms and desperate financial straits of the Russian
         nuclear industry to conduct engineering tests far removed
         from South African scrutiny (The Star 26/8/99).

         The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was
         requested to investigate and advise on the technical and
         economic feasibility, safety and nuclear proliferation
         aspects of the PBMR. The report was expected in February
         2000 but was not available as of end March. This is not an
         independent study since the IAEA is an institution whose
         mission includes promoting the use of atomic energy. It
         also has a history of manipulating statistics to obscure
         the health-effects of radiation.




         Renewable Energy & Socio-economic considerations:

         It is by now widely recognised that the `price' of
         electricity generation - i.e. the cost to Eskom - bears
         little relation to the actual cost to the nation of
         producing electricity, both in economic terms, due to
         direct and indirect subsidies, and in terms of human
         health and degradation of natural resources.

         While nuclear projects are capital-intensive and require a
         high proportion of foreign expertise, renewable energy is
         labour-intensive. Rural electricity generation from wind
         and solar energy, either at household level or for small
         grid systems, empowers local communities and helps to
         combat urbanisation.

         Internationally both solar thermal power, e.g. in
         Sacramento, California, and wind power, most notably in
         Denmark, expose the deception of claims by Eskom staff
         that renewable energy "cannot provide for base load"
         electricity generation.(Ref 7) While solar technologies
         are becoming increasingly efficient and cost-effective,

              Even in terms of present technology, in sunny
              climates solar thermal electricity is the
              world's most flexible and compact source of grid
              electricity. It is also by far the largest -
              capable of delivering, from just 4% of South
              Africa's land surface, the total present world
              electrical generating capacity. (SESSA: `Solar
              Energy in Southern Africa')

         Wind power technology is also improving rapidly (being
         directly competitive with fossil fuels in situations where
         full costs are taken into account) and past problems such
         as noise and impacts on bird-life have been resolved. Ten
         times more jobs are created by investments in Wind Power
         projects than in nuclear and the leading developers are
         willing and ready to undertake technology-transfer
         projects that will allow South Africa to develop the
         industry locally. Most of SA's wind resources are coastal,
         thus reducing dependence on highveld coal stations and
         long distance transmission. Wind farms produce no air
         pollution and most (90%) of the land needed can also be
         used for farming. See the South African Wind Energy
         Association website for more information

         While Eskom claim to be co-operating with the Darling wind
         farm project in the Cape, they declined to enter into a
         power purchasing agreement that would allow the project to
         sell electricity onto the grid. For over 20 years the
         nuclear industry enjoyed the benefits of heavy subsidies,
         receiving between 85 and 90% of DME budget between 1985
         and 1989.(Ref 8) This has advanced nuclear power at the
         expense of cleaner and more socially beneficial
         technology. It is time to move away from the practices of
         the apartheid era and to give effect to policies and
         legislation promulgated since 1994.

         -----------------------------------------------------------
         Ref 7 - Tony Stott at a meeting with Cape Metropolitan
         Council, 15/11/99
         Ref 8 - For nuclear funding from 1971 - 1993 see `The
         South African nuclear fuel industry: History and
         prospects' by Thomas Auf Der Hyde, Energy and Development
         Research Centre, University of Cape Town (1993)
         -----------------------------------------------------------




         Additional material

         Extracts from presentation by Themba Mdlalosa, Chief
         Director of the Nuclear and Renewable Energy Directorate
         in the Department of Minerals and Energy, to the
         parliamentary portfolio committee, on 10 March 2000:

         "PBMR is an acronym for Pebble Bed Modular Reactor. This
         refers to a new kind of nuclear reactor which is still at
         a conceptual stage of development. This reactor is being
         developed by an ESKOM research group at a cost of a few
         billion rands."

         "The company or rather the project has about 78 ESKOM
         employees and 97 contract staff. Thus the total number of
         people working on the project is 175. Of the 78 ESKOM
         workers only 32 are permanent and of these permanent
         workers 12 are white."

         "It is noteworthy that the average salary for the ESKOM
         and contract staff is R468 571. So far, the whole research
         effort has been directed at a conceptual development of
         the PBMR. Thus the only tangible product of these efforts
         are a few either hand drawn or computer generated
         engineering drawings."

         "The relatively limited public participation in the PBMR
         debate cannot be blamed entirely on the lack of an
         integrated energy plan. It is a fact that the DME was
         never involved at the inception of the PBMR project. We
         were presented with a fait accompli."

         Extracts from a European Commission Report -
         Directorate-General for Energy WIND ENERGY - THE FACTS

         "It is predicted that the annual growth rate [of the wind
         energy industry] will decrease from the 1997 value of 27%
         until 2002 when it will be about 18% per annum, after
         which it remains constant."

         "In general, an increase in manufacturing output results
         in lower production costs. This cost decrease has been
         quantified at 15-20 % for each doubling of the installed
         capacity . . . applying the production/cost decrease rate
         as stated above for the period from 1996-2010 during which
         the production rate is likely to double about three times,
         suggests a cost decrease of 45-60%. The cost reduction
         potential for wind energy has been assessed by US-DOE
         (1990) and Risø (1996) and both studies support the values
         suggested in this report."

         "Under current European market conditions the installation
         of each 1 MW of wind power creates jobs for between 15 and
         19 people. In more labour intensive parts of the world
         this figure may double. Further jobs will also be created,
         including jobs in operation, service and maintenance."

         "All power generation has environmental effects, those
         wind produces are minimal. About 99% of the land area
         within a typical wind farm site is available for
         agricultural or other use.

         Land requirements: Generation Technology:
         Land Required per GWh for 30 years(m2):

            * Geothermal 404
            * Wind 800 - 1335
            * Solar Photovoltaic 3237
            * Solar Thermal 3561
            * Coal 3642"

         The following website provides extensive information on
         the international status of the international energy
         industry: www.undp.org/seed/eap/

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