South Africa’s environment minister on Friday upheld a prior decision granting environmental authorisation for state-owned power utility Eskom to construct and operate a new nuclear power station in Western Cape province, Reuters reported.
The project, planned for Duynefontein near the existing Koeberg plant, currently the only commercial nuclear power facility in Africa, will have a capacity of 4,000 megawatts.
Environmentalists had appealed against the original authorisation granted in 2017.
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“The granting of an environmental authorisation does not exempt an applicant from complying with any other applicable legal requirements or obtaining permits from other competent authorities,” said Dion George, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, in a statement.
South Africa considers nuclear power an essential part of its baseload energy supply as it shifts away from coal-fired plants, which currently provide most of its electricity, toward a more renewable-focused energy mix.
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