Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica on Monday reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to developing and applying nuclear technology towards peace, health and prosperity.
Speaking at the 50th session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, Sonjica said international commitment to expanding nuclear energy had made it necessary to ensure it was used in a safe, secure and peaceful manner.
With increased energy requirements, many countries had started looking to nuclear energy to meet their energy needs.
Sonjica said South Africa’s plans to roll out the controversial Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) were making good progress, and this would maximise the use of the country’s natural resources.
The PBMR demonstration plant would be completed by 2011, with the first commercial modules planned for 2013.
South Africa was investigating the establishment of a Regional Nuclear Safety Regulatory Forum to ensure the strengthening of regulatory frameworks, infrastructure as well as the harmonisation of safety standards.
Environmentalists have raised their concerns about the safe disposal of nuclear waste.
Sonjica said a demonstration of a borehole disposal concept for spent sealed sources had received a favourable report from the IAEA’s peer review team, and the Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa had now been contracted to design and construct a system for the safe handling of spent high activity radioactive sources.
South African experts were continuing to promote national and regional self-reliance in nuclear science and technology, the conditioning and safe storage of spent radium sources and the auditing of nuclear medicine and radiotherapy facilities among member states of the African Regional Cooperative Agreement.
Sonjica said South Africa strongly supported the Convention on Nuclear Safety and had undertaken a detailed review of a recent report, with the objective of identifying future potential shortcomings in South Africa and to implement, where necessary, preventive actions.
Real progress in securing the world from the threat of nuclear weapons and using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes could only be achieved through progress in nuclear disarmament.
”We therefore again call on the nuclear-weapon states to reaffirm their commitments and undertakings to systematically and progressively eliminate their nuclear weapon arsenals,” said Sonjica.
She said South Africa did not condone unwarranted restrictions on the Non-Proliferation Treaty’s (NPT) guaranteed access to nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes by countries that were fully compliant with their obligations under the NPT.
Concerned about the lack of progress in finding a solution with regard to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Sonjica appealed to that country to eliminate its nuclear weapons and place its material and facilities under IAEA safeguards.
Despite the outstanding safeguard issues in Iran, Sonjica said she was encouraged by recent discussions between Iran and the European High Representative.
”For the first time since August 2005, there seems to be a real possibility of resuming negotiations with the view to resolving differences.”
All member states of the IAEA were responsible for cooperating with the agency, Sonjica said. — Sapa