Construction Phase -
Temporary concentration, with limited influx, of construction workers with resultant traffic, services and resource requirement. This is largely off-set with better income and local spending, though of a limited duration. On a regional and national scale, component manufactures will further off-set adverse impact as well as the upgrading of some utilities i.e. water supply and electricity.
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Changes to the aesthetic (visual) character that will manifest and become acceptable over time.
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Generation of construction waste(s) and spoil respectively need to be sorted, recycled, re-used or disposed of at existing disposal facilities (waste) or re-used, contoured and rehabilitated (spoil).
All the adverse construction impacts can be successfully managed within acceptable levels, provided that a Construction EMP is implemented and monitored.
Operations/Maintenance Phase -
Open and concerted communication with the City of Cape Town and other local provincial and national authorities on radiological surveillance programme design and results. While Eskom is commended on its current programmes, circumstances have changed such that a renewed focus is required.
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Diligent application of Eskom’s HIV/AIDS policy and practices.
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Diligent support of the national goals on the training, development and retention of science and engineering skills.
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Continued support to the Disaster Management System and facilities of the Cape Unicity and Tygerberg Hospital.
Decommissioning and Dismantling Phase -
The design of the proposed Plant makes provision for simplified and streamlined decommissioning and dismantling from a radiological point of view
Social Impact Assessment -
A Social Impact Assessment was conducted by Afrosearch in accordance with IAIA principles and DEAT requirements. The SIA Report provides (Annexure 11) the findings of the in-depth assessment of the social impacts, including a rating of impacts and measures for mitigation through the enhancement of positive impacts and the amelioration of negative impacts.
The following impact themes were assessed in respect of the construction, operation and decommissioning stages of the project:
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Population impacts referring to acute or transient changes in the demographic composition (age; gender; racial/ethnic composition) of the population. Two specific aspects were considered in this regard, namely potential changes commensurate with the introduction of people dissimilar in demographic profile in the first instance and the inflow of temporary workers to the PBMR site in the second instance.
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Planning, institutional, infrastructure and services impacts. This theme related to projected impacts on Local and/or Metropolitan Government in terms of impacts on planning, the provision of off-site emergency response planning as well as an evaluation of needs related to infrastructure and services.
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Individual, community and family level impacts related to impacts on daily movement patterns, visual and aesthetic impacts as well as potential pollution related intrusion.
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Socio-economic impacts related to employment creation (focusing on the construction phase), changes in employment equity, direct and indirect socio-economic impacts resulting from the construction of the proposed PBMR demonstration module as well as property values in the primary impact area.
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Community health, safety and security impacts, including an evaluation of the psychosocial stressors involved in health perception and the nocebo effect.
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Management of waste and specifically nuclear waste.
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Impacts on places of cultural, historical and archaeological significance (based on inputs received from I&APs and gathered during the baselines study).
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Attitude formation, interest group activity and social mobilisation (the behavioural expression element of attitudes)
Throughout the Scoping and Impact Assessment processes it was clear that an essential and extremely important component of the impacts identified related to, or was linked in, with risk assessment and perceptions regarding risk. The degree to which the proposed PBMR development is perceived on a continuum from “dread risk” to “no risk” has differed significantly from group to group, depending on the basic point of departure of the group. Based on this, a contextual foundation was provided for the impact assessment through an evaluation of factors involved in the development of risk perception as well as the implications of this for the rating of impacts and for the development of mitigatory mechanisms.
Based on the impact assessment, the following specific conclusions and recommendations are made, inter alia, that:
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The absence of a coherent national nuclear energy policy and particularly the absence of a national policy regarding the disposal of nuclear waste is both a major factor contributing to the “dread risk perception” experienced by the affected society and a substantive environmental hazard in its own right. The failure to finalise the development of such a policy (with due cognisance of the process that has been initiated to develop a Radioactive Waste Management Policy) may be constituted as a breach of the duty of care borne by the national government in terms of Section 28 of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998 (Act 107 of 1998) (NEMA) and of the principles as contained in Section 2 of NEMA. For this reason the national government is urged to ensure that, at minimum, the finalisation of an effective radioactive waste management policy is regarded as of the utmost importance and fast-tracked, with full cognisance of the need to follow due process.
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Risk perception and negative psycho-social sequelae of nuclear related “dread risk perception” is frequently attenuated and tempered by the provision of neutral, reliable, responsible, un-biased information dissemination and risk communication. While there is a limited public perception that neither NECSA nor Eskom will, necessarily, provide neutral information and risk communication, it is also perceived that anti-nuclear lobbies will not necessarily engage in the provision of neutral information and risk communication either. For this reason it is seen as an urgent imperative that an organisation such as the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE), formed to oversee compliance in respect of the Organisation of African Unity’s Treaty of Pelindaba, be formally requested to extend its activities under Article 12 of the Treaty to educate and inform the public of the real risks and issues related to “the peaceful use of nuclear energy for the betterment of society”.
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It is vital that the Tygerberg Hospital’s ability to cope with nuclear incidents and disaster is maintained, in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) REMPAN programme, aimed at promoting regional competence to deal with nuclear incidents and disasters. It is, therefore, seen as an absolute requirement that NECSA and Eskom continue to ensure that Tygerberg Hospital maintains this competence.
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The importance of establishing risk communication and risk management as a “two-way” process that includes mechanisms to address legitimate concerns has been stressed at various stages in the SIA Report. Some guidelines regarding the promotion of effective risk communication include ensuring that:
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A senior person at Eskom is appointed to communicate with the public.
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There is a thorough understanding and acceptance of community concern and sensitivity about secrecy and that information is provided freely and involves the public from the outset.
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Every attempt is made to, first and foremost, earn trust and credibility.
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No mixed messages are given and ensuring that all information has been checked and double-checked for accuracy.
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The truth is told at all times even where this involves “bad news”, instead of attempting to salvage the situation later.
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Attention is paid to community outrage factors and concerns. This will require that it be accepted that response to risk is more complex than the provision of scientific data and linear response to facts and that information should be provided so as to meet the requirements of people.
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Wherever practicable, the help of organisations that have credibility in communicating with communities is enlisted.
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The Melkbosstrand Residents Ratepayers Association, the Transport and Roads Division of the City of Cape Town, as well as other I&APs have raised concerns about existing emergency plans (including evacuation plans) for Koeberg as well as the proposed PBMR. In this regard, the CCT states that it sees the existing Koeberg evacuation plan as requiring re-evaluation and being “totally inefficient …(as) it will take approximately 19 hours to evacuate, which is much too long. This plan should also address the additional PBMR and the result of both reactors being faulty or the effect of the one on the other” (p.5: Annexure D: Comments from service delivery units).
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Provide some 1 400 local jobs over the construction period
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Provide some 40 permanent jobs
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Place capital expenditure preference on local content, where possible.
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Support and promote the national goals on Science and Technology.
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Not place additional spatial restrictions on the development of Cape Unicity area of jurisdiction.
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Have limited transient negative impact on tourism that may be off set by business visitor influx to the proposed Plant.
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Employ international practices and norms to accumulate sufficient segregate funds for the decommissioning and dismantling of the Plant and the disposal and long term management of HLW.
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