The report points to Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape\u2019s Kouga Local Municipality as an ideal location in the country for the construction of a nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WSP also noted that its proximity to existing grid infrastructure makes it a better choice than the second-choice location, Bantamsklip in the Western Cape\u2019s Overberg region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis reduces the need for extensive new linear infrastructure and limits land acquisition and servitude requirements,\u201d WSP explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt also lowers the potential for additional environmental and social impacts associated with grid connection and access development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, speaking in an interview with BizNews<\/a>, resident Trudi Malan and leader of the Thyspunt Alliance explained that opposition to nuclear development in the area stretches back decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n She added that Eskom’s public consultation process has been inadequate and that concerns raised by residents have largely been ignored, noting that the plan will likely end up in the courts if it goes ahead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been involved in this, submitting comments and responding to the environmental impact assessment since I can remember living here, which is nearly 25 years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Thyspunt site, situated between Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay and Humansdorp, has long been identified by Eskom as a preferred nuclear location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Malan argued the site was selected during the apartheid government\u2019s time, and that environmental and heritage protections were far weaker when the sites were first chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She highlighted that the site was selected in the 1980s and noted that Eskom has been acquiring land there ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She believes the renewed focus on Thyspunt ignores the area\u2019s significance. \u201cFrom a biodiversity perspective, [it is a] very important site with systems that can have downstream impacts on communities and water security.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite concerns about limited consultation, Malan said residents have shown strong engagement and opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur community is very strong. The community has turned up for the meetings to give their inputs with very good questions that could not be answered,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Safety concerns remain a major sticking point, particularly around evacuation. \u201cThere\u2019s only one road leading out of the town,\u201d she said, and added that multiple communities would have to use the same route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf something goes wrong, I\u2019m not getting out,\u201d she said. Malan noted that this has been brought up wth Eskom and there was a lack of clear emergency planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Malan also believes the process is fundamentally flawed. \u201cAt the moment, we don\u2019t think it\u2019s a fair process. It does not address half of the issues of the current scoping phase,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, she expects the battle over Thyspunt to escalate beyond public participation. \u201cThere\u2019s always that question of whether the government persevere, or will the people stand up and then we go to lawfare. We\u2019re going to use the courts in the end,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Malan said that the outcome increasingly appears inevitable as they prepare detailed submissions challenging the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Eskom chief nuclear officer Velaphi Ntuli expected to secure environmental authorisation for the project by late 2027, some have criticised the plan to go nuclear. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPlan will end up in the courts <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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