The final Environmental Impact Assessment Report for the proposed nuclear power station at Thyspunt on the coast between Oyster Bay and St Francis Bay is expected to be submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs for a decision “late-2012”.
The report will be an application for one nuclear power station with a maximum capacity of 4 000MW on one site.
Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said in reply to a written question in the National Assembly that only if Thyspunt was not approved for the first new nuclear power station, was it possible that the other sites at Bantamsklip and Duynefontein might be approved.
“The revised draft Environmental Impact Report, in its current form, recommends that the proposed nuclear power station, if the project receives all the required authorisations and approvals, is constructed on the Thyspunt site.”
Bantamsklip is east of Hermanus and Duynefontein next to the existing Koeberg power station.
The Minister said the studies that had been conducted to date had “not identified any fatal flaws on the three sites”.
She said that issues raised in the EIA process with regard to Thyspunt related to transport, the chokka industry and debris flow.
“These issues are being investigated by the specialists and if there are any sub-stantive changes made in the respective specialist reports, the public will be provided with the opportunity to comment of these reports.”
Peters said further work with regard to Thyspunt was also being carried out by specialists on heritage issues.
She said 28 specialist studies had been carried out in the EIA process, including studies on fauna and flora, wetlands, dune morphology, transport, heritage and socio-economic activity – this in-cluded the chokka and fishing industries as well as tourism and agriculture.
Peters said more than one site would be required if the nuclear programme envisaged in the Integrated Resources Plan was implemented, adding that fur-ther environmental applications would be made for any subsequent power stations.
