South Africa Moves Ahead With PBMR Development

From the Cape Times:

The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) offers an efficient and economical method of providing power to South Africa's coastal towns and cities, Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin said on Monday.

Opening debate on his R683,4-million budget vote in the National Assembly, he noted that global warming had seen nuclear power re-emerge internationally as an attractive alternative form of energy generation.

"Given the urgent demand for large-scale, clean, affordable energy - and South Africa's lack of primary fuel sources at its coastal regions - the PBMR provides a plausible and cost-competitive alternative solution," said Erwin.

The other possibilities were the construction of very long and expensive power lines, or setting up the logistics to supply conventional coastal power stations with natural gas or coal.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Politics, Technology, South Africa, Electricity