Nuclear safety activists have welcomed a new round of public consultations by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) on the extension of the Koeberg nuclear power station’s lifetime operation but criticise lack of information on crucial safety issues.

“NNR put the cart before the horse by holding public hearings before the release of essential documentation including, for example, the latest seismic risk study,” said Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) Executive Director Francesca de Gasparis. “The last scientific study to assess seismic risk was done in 1976.”

A number of civil society organisations, among them SAFCEI, Project 90 by 2030, Save Bantamsklip, the Koeberg Alert Alliance and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, used the Promotion of Access to Information Act to pressure the NNR to hand over information on plant safety at Koeberg. They say many of the points raised in these reports remain unaddressed.

In a joint statement, the organisations point out that a number of safety recommendations, made by the International Atomic Energy Agency after a safety review in March 2022, have either not been implemented or no confirmation of their implementation has been given, including quality assurances of the containment structure’s monitoring system and the repair of a 110 m crack in the building.

An emergency compliance drill at Koeberg also revealed that the plant’s mass care centre cannot treat people exposed to radioactive areas. Decontamination showers were only suitable for chemical decontamination but not for radioactive decontamination.

Earthlife Africa Director Makoma Lekalakala raised concerns about the increase in nuclear waste resulting from the power station’s lifespan extension and safe storage of the waste at Koeberg and Vaalputs in the Northern Cape.

“There are no feasibility studies to support such expansions, especially when considering the proximity to local communities,” she said.

Gabriel Klaasen of Project 90 pointed out that trucks containing low-level waste travel from Koeberg to Vaalputs along the R355, a public gravel road, not up to international standards for moving nuclear waste.

“Over the years, four trucks have had accidents on this road and no interventions to either stop this mode of transporting nuclear waste or upgrade the road have been made despite petitions by nearby communities,” he said.

“Why are we being asked, as South Africans, to accept 20 more years of a nuclear power station that would get 10 years at most if it was in France and, crucially, if it was deemed to be safe?” said De Gasparis.