I can’t be the only person who watched the critically acclaimed Chernobyl and then had a brief moment of panic when I realised that Eskom is in charge of our very own Koeberg nuclear plant.

Yes, Eskom, the company that was supposedly crippled by an errant bolt back in 2011 and never fully recovered. Also, the same people who tried and failed to hide the fact that the Medupi power station is basically falling apart.

That very same Eskom is in charge of a large nuclear reactor, and as it turns out, they aren’t doing a very good job.

Over to The Daily Maverick:

Storage of high-level radioactive waste is a major environmental concern in the region, as South Africa looks to extend Koeberg’s life for another two decades and mulls extra nuclear power plants…

Koeberg produces about 32 tonnes of spent fuel a year. Fuel assemblies, which contain radioactive materials including uranium and plutonium that can remain dangerous for thousands of years, are cooled for a decade under water in spent fuel pools.

Bear in mind that Koeberg is located around 35 kilometres from Cape Town.

The Koeberg spent fuel pool storage capacity is currently over 90% full and will reach capacity by April 2020.

Eskom now has nine new unused casks on site, each with an individual capacity of 32 spent fuel assemblies, with another five expected to be delivered soon.

“These casks are presently stored empty on the Koeberg site while Eskom is in the process of applying for a usage licence from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR),” Eskom said.

The 14 casks will ensure adequate storage until 2024, and Eskom is trying to get the funds for a further 30 casks. This still all feels a little bit ‘last-minute’.

Anti-nuclear lobby group Earthlife Africa said South Africa could not afford the social, environmental and economic costs associated with nuclear waste.

“We have a ticking bomb with high-level waste and fuel rods at Koeberg,” said Makoma Lekalakala, Earthlife Africa’s director.

The words ‘ticking bomb’, when talking about radioactive waste, are far from ideal.

Sorry, Tableview/Blouberg/ Parklands.

You might want to get those ‘go bags’ ready, just in case.

[source:dailymaverick]