Port Elizabeth Express
Wednesday, June 6th, 2007
Nuclear or gas power at Coega?
CINDY FISHER
BIG plans by both Eskom and the Metro are taking shape
to supply the huge demand for electricity for the Coega
Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).
According to Kupido Baron, Metro Spokesperson, a new
power station at the Coega Industrial Development Zone
(IDZ) or within the region is "of vital importance to
counter serious potential power shortages expected due
to much higher demands".According to Baron, the
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's Council unanimously
expressed their support for either a gas-fired or a
nuclear-fueled power station at Coega to cater for the
energy demands of current and new investors in the zone,
which spans approximately 7 000 ha.
Baron said one of the main reasons for the urgency is
that no new power stations has been built to cater for
higher electricity demands in the past fifteen years.
The PE Express has learnt that an Environmental
Impact Assessment (EIA) is under way for a proposed
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) terminal within the Coega
IDZ, a joint venture by Eskom and the South African Gas
Development Company, iGas.
According to the background information document of the
EIA, the proposed LNG terminal will consist of "a berth
with off loading arms within the Port of Ngqura,
cryogenic pipelines, storage and handling facilities and
regasification modules; as well as a combined-cycle Gas
Turbine Power Plant to generate up to approximately 2
400 MW of electricity by burning natural gas or diesel".
The nuclear power station at Koeberg outside Cape
Town, only has a 1800 MW capacity.
Nelson Mandela Bay Local Environmentalists (NiMBLE)
recently protested outside the offices of the Coega
Development Corporation (CDC) and according to Greg
Smith, NiMBLE chairperson, the NGO is concerned with the
environmental and health hazards the aluminium smelter,
Alcan, could pose for the community.
Alcan is the anchor tenant of the IDZ and according
to Smith it is estimated that the smelter will use more
electricity than both the cities of East London and Port
Elizabeth put together.
"I don't understand that they are looking into an LNG
plant as well as a nuclear plant? The contract between
Eskom and Alcan is top secret and there is just no
transparency in their dealings," Smith said.
A record of decision was made in November last year
by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT)
to give Eskom and the CDC the green light after an EIA
on the installation of electrical infrastructure at the
IDZ had been done.
The infrastructure project included the installation of
400 kV and 132 kV powerlines, substations for stepping
down the power for end-users, radio towers for
communications, and the upgrade of the existing
Grassridge station.
Baron said the Metro also had additional power plans
for the city with a 20 MW wind farm and a generation and
water purification facility for Fish Water Flats.
In the meantime public hearings will get under way
next week in Oyster Bay, Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay as
Thyspunt at Oyster Bay west of PE has been identified as
one of five possible sites for a proposed second nuclear
power station for SA.
The proposed nuclear plant is expected to have a 4 000
MW capacity.
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