An assessment of selected stakeholders' attitudes towards, and perceptions to the construction of new nuclear power plants in the Western and Eastern Cape regions, South Africa

Abstract

The increased demand for electricity has persuaded a number of countries world-wide to re-evaluate their strategies on energy production. These strategies largely focus on expanding the power generation capacity and adjustment of the amount of energy generated from various sources, in the light of global climate change, security of energy supply and fossil fuel price volatility (OECD report, 2010). In the United States of America (USA), for example, according to Ansolabehere & Konisky (2009), a projection of 40% rise in electricity demand is forecast over the next three decades presenting a need for diversifying the energy mix and expanding power generation capacity. The need for expanding energy supply is increasingly becoming more pronounced in a number of developing countries as well. The demand for energy warrants generation of energy from a variety of sources: coal-fired power plants, gas turbines, wind farms and nuclear power facilities. In order to transmit electricity efficiently these facilities need to be located near residential centres. The challenges associated with the construction of such centres are multi-fold. The option of nuclear power generation is a very divisive issue with as many opponents as supporters, and it has certainly been put back on the agenda in many countries including China, India and Russia, with over 250 nuclear projects in the pipeline globally. The construction of nuclear power plants is often masked with opposition from the public resulting in huge delays in completing the projects yet, nuclear energy is considered as one of the most comprehensive and cost-effective generating options which has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, meet the ever-increasing demand for electricity as well as making a crucial contribution to energy independence and security of supply.