Energy needs for the 21st century and South Africa's strategies to meet them

Her Excellency L. Xingwana, Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, South Africa, noted that the President of South Africa has announced that in eight years universal access to electricity would be achieved. This means an additional three million households will be supplied through the electricity grid. Currently in excess of 300 000 new households per annum are being supplied with electricity. She stated that in a country that has abundant uranium resources, ways of utilizing this resource for peace and economic development would continue to be sought. The pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) was borne out of the need to ensure security of supply through diversity. She commented that the decision to proceed with the PBMR project was taken with a full understanding that successful commissioning of the project will contribute towards efforts aimed at meeting the Millennium Development Goals and will enhance sustainable socioeconomic development. She noted that the IAEA Statute, inter alia, advocates that Member States have the inalienable right to access and/or acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. She then added that for nuclear energy to succeed a lot of effort has to go towards superior designs that are economically viable and proliferation resistant. Nuclear energy cannot thrive without social acceptance. Programmes aimed at educating the public on the benefits of nuclear energy must be enhanced. It is necessary to guard against talking amongst ourselves and to reach out to society. The development and maintenance of a national infrastructure to ensure a peaceful and safe use of nuclear power is essential. In this regard, she expressed her gratitude for the work done by the IAEA in supporting Member States and hoped that these programmes will in future be enhanced, as the dawn of a nuclear energy future is no longer in question. She asked that the international community strengthen regional bodies, for example AFRA (African Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology), in terms of implementation of regional projects, and that the international community develop coherent and integrated nuclear regulatory training that will take into account the specific needs and interests of developing countries. She further identified the need for strengthening safeguards implementation and noted that the need for the Additional Protocol cannot be overemphasized. Furthermore, the international community must foster applications of nuclear energy in areas such as desalination and other process heat applications. She emphasized that nuclear energy has to be an underpinning energy source for developing countries