Antoinette Slabbert reports that South Africa should remain in control of its planned multibillion-rand nuclear build project by doing the project management itself, says Dr Kelvin Kemm, CEO of Nuclear Africa. Kemm is a nuclear physicist and member of Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson energy advisory committee. Nuclear Africa is a consultancy focused on the localization of the nuclear programme and developing an export market for South African-made nuclear components and assemblies. It has also advised all the potential bidders, government and private companies that want to get involved in the project.
We could switch on in 2023 if we have good project management, he says. He argues South Africa is capable of controlling and managing the development of its proposed nine 600 MW nuclear program in collaboration with an outside partner. We build Mercedes Benz cars in East London. We did not do the design, but we bring the components in and assemble it here. We should look at the same pattern (for the nuclear build projects).
He says this project does not have to be like Eskom Medupi power station which is billions of rands over budget and years behind schedule after Eskom took the project management upon itself. Kemm agrees that the project management at Medupi was problematic, adding that labor issues caused further delays and disruptions.
To this end, it is essential that workers should buy into the nuclear program and have pride in their work, he says. It is not yet clear who will be in charge of the project, but he would support a decision to create a specific agency to manage the project.
Kemm says outside the nuclear island, a nuclear power station does not differ that much from a conventional power station. There are civil works, pipes, electronics, and so forth, all things South Africans are capable of constructing.
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