SA Nuclear Plan Falters as PBMR Chief Quits

[bananas]

Head falls off nuclear zombie, but it still stumbles around.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201003090593.html

SA Nuclear Plan Falters as PBMR Chief Quits
Siseko Njobeni
9 March 2010

Johannesburg — PEBBLE Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) company CEO Jaco Kriek said yesterday he was quitting the state-funded entity, fuelling uncertainty over the project's future and the role of nuclear power in helping to meet SA's energy needs.

Kriek's sudden resignation appears to be an after-effect of the government's decision to cut funding to the project, which was intended to produce small-scale, high-temperature reactors, but which has struggled to attract private investment.

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With support from the government ending this month and no investor in sight, PBMR appears set for scaling down after 10 years of development.

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In 2008, Eskom cancelled plans to build a new nuclear plant, citing high costs.

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They knew this was a waste of time and money 5 years ago:

http://www.greenclippings.co.za/gc_main/article.php?story=20050907124003759

Eskom gags Earthlife from revealing PBMR details
Date: Wed 07 September 2005
Category: Nuclear

Documents that Eskom sent by mistake to environmental group Earthlife Africa reveal internal warnings that the planned pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) could incur 'excessive' costs, and was not competitive in South Africa.

This latest revelation follows many reports of rising costs and questionable economics, as well as criticism of a poor quality safety report. Earlier this year the Cape High Court overturned government's approval of the environmental impact assessment for the project.

Earlier last week Eskom was in court to defend an application in which Earthlife demanded the release of Eskom board minutes on financial, commercial and technical aspects of the project.

Earthlife has argued that it was entitled to the minutes of the board meetings in terms of the Access to Information Act of 2000. 'The whole purpose of the act is to promote transparency and accountability,' Earthlife's advocate Jacqui Cassette said.

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Also see recent thread "Pebble-bed nuclear reactor gets pulled" http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x233033

[kristopher]

1. This is the one that is already 15 years past scheduled completion and 15X original cost?

[bananas]

4. Yes, it is. nt

[joshcryer]

2. Only on this forum is science called a waste of time and money.

[bananas]

3. Only in this forum would a cover-up be called "science"

Putting a gag order to hide the truth isn't "science".
It's another example of why you can't trust the nuclear industry.