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TO NUKE OR NOT TO NUKE? WHAT NUCLEAR POWER WOULD MEAN FOR J-BAY
THE J-BAY ISSUE
10
MOST DANGERO
US
WAVES
IN THE WORLD
2 0 1 2 S P E C I A L J E F F R E Y ’S B A Y E D I T I O N
PHOTO JOURNAL
Radical]
or
radiractive?
With plans to build a nuclear power plant just a mere 16km outside of one of the world’s most loved surf towns, Jeffrey’s Bay locals are beginning to panic. But what exactly would the advantages or pitfalls of constructing this nuclear monstrosity be? Tarryn Ross investigates.
O
ften in the fight for human rights and for our access to basic services and needs the environment comes off second best. It has been a contentious question for many years, do we let people suffer or do we risk harming our environment for the improvement of living conditions? In the 1980’s Thyspunt was selected as a potential site for the construction of a nuclear power plant. It was partly selected due to its distance from the Ciskei, which the then Apartheid Government feared an attack from, more of a political move than anything else. However, it seems that over 30 years later this potential site has been re-established as a potential nuclear zone. A zone just 16km from the town of Jeffrey’s Bay. Jeffrey’s Bay, affectionately known as J-Bay, is famous for its laidback atmosphere and the surf lifestyle that people in the town follow. If J-Bay had to be any celebrity, it would be Cameron Diaz – quirky, lovable and absolutely beautiful. With the recent Census in 2011 indicating that we
are currently sitting at 51, 7 million, we now have the demand for power more than ever before. According to the NGO, Citizens United for Renewable Energy, 2.5 million homes in South Africa are without electricity. Yet, there has been much ado whether this power South Africa so desperately needs should be of the nuclear nature.
“2.5 million homes in South Africa are without electricity” Nuclear power has been praised for being a more economical and cleaner form of energy production. As far as greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide emissions go, nuclear power has been deemed as safe, as no gases are released. Rather it harnesses the power of Uranium 235, which has its atoms split in a process called fission. In this process heat is released, producing the steam
to drive the massive turbines that create electricity. Eskom claim that very little waste is created in this process. Both the construction as well the running of the potential power plant at Thyspunt would mean massive job creation. Jeffrey’s Bay is currently sitting with a 29% unemployment rate and as a result the crime rate is high. The power plant has the potential to help lift the poorer community should it be built. Eskom has published that they are planning to “determine the current level of skills of the unemployed in the area to plan training for these people… and intends to use as much local labour as possible… these initiatives are intended to minimise the influx of job seekers”. Eskom expects only an extra 2000 people to reside in Jeffrey’s Bay from the building of the plant. However, many would beg to differ. Especially the local residents of Jeffrey’s Bay and St. Francis. The Supertubes Foundation in Jeffrey’s Bay, an environmental organisation which is concerned with the indigenous flora and fauna of the town, is firmly against the plant. Supertubes are currently
one of the forerunners in the anti-Nuke fight. They believe that nuclear waste, no matter how much, or how little of it, is still radioactive material that has the potential to harm any life form around it. The average reactor produces 20-30 tons of radioactive waste per year, with no way of disposing of this material. Locals also argue that the construction of the power plant will automatically attract more people to the towns on Jeffrey’s Bay and St. Francis, which in turn will serve to raise the unemployment levels and subsequently the crime rate that the police are already struggling to control. If undertaken the project will also cost the South African government around R180 billion, far more expensive than R100 billion for a coal powered plant.
“The average reactor produces 20 - 30 tons of radioactive waste per year” Another concern are the huge amounts of traffic that will have to pass through Jeffrey’s Bay and that the roads are not fit to handle the large construction trucks that will have to bring building and nuclear material back and forth for a period of 7-9 years. Eskom has claimed that it will be upgrading roads as well as certain infrastructure for this purpose, but they have
yet to establish any sort of agreement for this. While the construction of this site may offer promises of short-term employment, it seems that the biggest fear is that of the effect on the environment in the long-term. Eskom has had meetings with many stakeholders in the community and of the environment and it is clear that many people are concerned about the future of their picturesque holiday town. Issues brought up to be concluded in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) include the concern that nuclear power relies on water to cool the reactors, and therefore would rely on the ocean to do this. However, this could result in rising ocean temperatures, which is both devastating to the sea life and the fishing industry in the area. Jeffrey’s Bay has a R500 million chokka and squid fishing industry and the power plant could potentially ruin this. The Supertubes Foundation stated that they are “vehemently opposed to the discharge of 6.37 million tons of spoil into the ocean…we believe that sediment and the resulting turbidity would have a negative impact on the marine life and on the squid in particular. As many local surfers are involved in the squid industry, this would affect their income and probably lead to job losses. It is inconceivable to us, in a country with high unemployment rates, a very
lucrative, 6000-job industry can be put at risk”. During construction, Eskom would need to pump an estimated 6.3 million cubic meters of sand offshore. Once again this would impact the very delicate squid fishing industry. But, surfers too have expressed their concerns that the sand would change the reef, making the waves break differently. Jeffrey’s Bay is famous for its waves as being in the top 5 in the world. Changing the nature of the wave could be potentially devastating for the surf industry.
“Eskom would need to pump 6.3 million cubic meters of sand offshore... potentially changing the nature of the wave” And course, the biggest question is: what happens if there is a nuclear accident? Should even the slightest problem occur with a reactor, it could be subject to meltdown, resulting in a nuclear disaster such as Fukushima in 2011 and Chernobyl in 1986. Chernobyl being the worst case scenario with an estimated 3940 radiation-induced cancer and leukemia deaths.
Eskom argues that the prevailing North Easterly wind would blow the radiation out to sea in the event of radiation leakage. While the locals claim that the actual prevailing South Westerly wind would blow radiation out over Jeffrey’s Bay and St. Francis in a matter of minutes.
“22% of new energy generating capacity by 2030 will be nuclear” For this reason many countries (with Germany at the forefront) are opting out of Nuclear power. Even though Nuclear Power accounts for almost a quarter of Germany’s electricity supply, they have decided to pull the plug on nuclear energy after the Fukushima meltdown last year. Instead they have opted to import power from France and the Czech Republic. However, this will result in raised electricity rates and those hardest hit by this will be the poor.
plant planned, which will be far less harmful to the environment, creating virtually no harmful emissions of any sorts. The site would only take 2 years to build and would cost an estimated R2 billion creating 138 megawatts of electricity. Eskom has also successfully obtained environmental authorisation to build a solar thermal plant in Upington and a wind facility in Vredendal. Perhaps these cheaper and less harmful plants would be a more sustainable option for the future? The final EIA report from which a final decision on Thyspunt will be made will only be released around March 2013. It will then remain to be seen what the government’s priority is, its citizens or the environment in which its citizens will live for years to come.
Some facts to help you put things in perspective South Africa’s only existing nuclear plant in Koeberg is responsible for 5% of all generated electricity in the country , being a 1800 megawatt plant.
South Africa, it seems, has opted to buy into nuclear power. The government proposed in their 2011 budget speech that 22% of new energy Thyspunt would be a generating capacity by 2030 will be nuclear while only 14% 9600 megawatt plant, producing more than will be coal-fired. However, Jeffrey’s Bay does have a proposed wind power
5 times the amount of electricity that Koeberg does.
Jeffrey’s Bay photo JOurnal of an ocean lover The sky is always a magnificent sight just after dawn in Jeffrey’s Bay, a town in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.With a wave that can break up to 2.1km J-bay is considered to be one of the best surf spots in the world.
Photos and captions by Tarryn Ross
Horseriding on the beach in Papiesfontein, just 5km’s outside of Jeffrey’s Bay, is one the many beach activities to do in the town. Papiesfontein has over 30 beautiful horses to ride, on a 2 hour journey that takes you through the dunes, fynbos and deserted beaches.
The ocean culture extends beyond the beach in J-Bay. A restaurant, just off the shore of Paradise Beach, named “Tapas� a totally beach themed restaurant. Every inch of the floor is covered in beach sand. During the peak season Tapas is always packed with visitors.
The main attraction in Jeffrey’s Bay is the water and the waves. Dave Scott is seen here kite-surfing the lagoon on a windy day.
The biggest sport in Jeffrey’s is surfing. The position of the sand dunes and fauna around the famous surf spots, Supertubes, Magnatubes, Point Break, Boneyards, Albatross and Kitchen Window, helps redirect the wind. The bay is considered to have one the top five waves in the world.
Bruce Gold, seen here with his dog Scooter Girl, is a legendary surfer and icon of Jeffrey’s Bay. Bruce has lived and surfed in the bay since 1960 and has made a name for himself because he has never held a solid job in the time that he has lived in the bay. Bruce lives off donations of food that locals give him and by selling surf documentaries that he has made over time.
This surfboard board has just had its final artwork done solely with paint markers. Today, a handmade surfboard is very rare to come across. Rebel Rider’s in Jeffrey’s Bay is one of the few places that still individually hand shapes boards.
A 1965 VW T1 Splitty “surf wagon” is seen advertising one of the many backpackers that surfers from all over the world often stay in. This Volkswagen is symbolic of the emergence of the surfing generation that spawned in the 60’s.
A young surfer is seen competing at the Hurley SA Junior Champs. The tournament saw the best surfers from each province in South Africa competing for the title of best individual surfer as well as best province.
Etienne Venter, The Eastern Province coach, is seen giving his team a pep talk before the start of the tournament on day 1. The Eastern Province team won the tournament overall, narrowly beating Kwa-Zulu Natal, and won the Skullcandy Team Spirit award too.
Surfing also brings the community closer together. Megan, an American student part of the Aleph foundation, teaches a local young girl how to surf. Megan teaches many kids life skills such as sewing and reading amongst others that all fall under the Christian Surfers Organisation
As dusk falls upon Jeffrey’s Bay the most magnificent skies are seen. A new sport that is taking off among surfers is Sector-9 boarding. Locals meet at sunset every day to climb the hills of an empty estate and skate all the way down.