Afinal decision on Eskom’s nuclear installation site licence (NISL) for its proposed Thyspunt nuclear power station cannot be made, owing to “information gaps and outdated data” relating to the application under consideration by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR).
Eskom submitted the application for the site in Kouga local municipality in the Eastern Cape, on March 10, 2016.
NNR nuclear power plants divisional executive Orion Phillips states that a prerequisite to granting an NISL is the applicant’s demonstration of compliance with NNR regulatory requirements.
The information gaps and outdated data in Eskom’s NISL application relate to population demographics, current land use and regional development plans and projections in relation to the design life of nuclear installations.
A probabilistic risk assessment, using site characteristics, was also not submitted by Eskom.
Nonetheless, Eskom is allowed to submit the relevant information for the NNR to evaluate, but must do so within 12 months.
“The evaluation of the NISL application has been wide-ranging and comprehensive. It was not limited to technical or engineering factors alone, but it encompassed and considered public and other stakeholder inputs as well,” says NNR chairperson Dr Thapelo Motshudi.
The NNR notes that an application for an NISL is subject to compliance with the National Nuclear Regulator Act, Regulations on Licensing of Sites for New Nuclear Installations and Regulations on Safety Standards and Regulatory Practices.
He adds that the NNR remains ready to perform the requisite additional reviews and assessments, when or if, Eskom submits the required outstanding information.
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