South Africa may enrich uranium

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=21743 ^ | 8-29-06

[jdm]

Johannesburg: South Africa, which has backed Iran’s right to enrich uranium, says it is considering processing its own uranium and envisages building up to six more nuclear reactors.

Buyelwa Sonjica, minerals and energy minister, said that any enrichment of uranium by South Africa would be pursued within international obligations. South Africa has said it hopes to expand its economy by around six per cent in the future and would need new energy capacity to fuel the expansion of the continent’s biggest economy.

Sonjica said: “I therefore believe that time has come for South Africa to conduct a cost-benefit analysis into the beneficiation (processing) of uranium. I will soon be making certain announcements in this regard.”

South Africa abandoned its nuclear arms programme before the end of apartheid in 1994. But it opposes forcing nations to abandon uranium enrichment, saying this could hurt its potential commercial activities to supply the nuclear power industry.

Sonjica said: “The expansion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy worldwide is looking more and more irreversible. “Clearly there is potential in this country and in this continent for us to look at ways of increasing the role nuclear technology plays in our economies.”

Speaking at the launch of the 200-strong South African Young Nuclear Professionals, Sonjica said the proposed plan would require building four to six new nuclear reactors, and that the country had enough uranium reserves to fuel such a nuclear energy programme. Koeberg, near Cape Town, is Africa’s only nuclear-fired facility and imports all its fuel. Its two nuclear reactors each generate about 900 megawatts of electricity.

[jdm]

South Africa, which has backed Iran’s right to enrich uranium, says it is considering processing its own uranium and envisages building up to six more nuclear reactors.

Don't like the sound of this.

[no-to-illegals]

everyone wants to peg the counter, it would appear.

[COEXERJ145]

South Africa so far is the only nation to build nuclear weapons and then voluntarily disarm.

[digger48]

Just wait for a Democrat President.....we'll set you right up

[Flavius]

well doesnt everyone,

[BenLurkin]

Just a few more years and I can head for the hills -- literally.

But the future looks grim for our children and grandchildren.

[SoldierDad]

Tell me again where it was that Iraq was alledged to be persuing enriched uranium, and then someone said "wrong"?

[Gaas]

I agree with JDM. I do not like the sound of them backing Iran's right to enrich uranium.

South Africa enriched uranium as early as the 70s. I personally worked for the Uranium Enrichment Corporation just outside of Pretoria in the early 80s. We know that they had a very successful nuclear program during the apartheid years. This is not news at all.

The news is that they support Iran. This might be just so that they can enrich uranium again, but I do not trust the current a-holes in goverment.

[Bbd]

This is probably the reaction of every Non nuclear State after the US avoid a direct collusion with Nuclear North Korea and hit defenseless non Nuclear Iraq.

Hmmmm...

[MediaMole]

Oh, goodie!!!

[zimdog]

i read something a few years back about a smaller nuclear reactor being developed in south africa. iirc, it would be much cheaper than the big ones used in europe and so would be affordable for cash-strapped african countries while at the same time not wasting capacity on tiny electrical grids. if that's true, i'm sure they see an economic ally in iran. as long as iran doesn't bomb south africa...