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The Democratic Alliance said on Thursday it had written to Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene to demand copies of planning documents setting out the financing and feasibility of the government’s nuclear power expansion programme.
“The minister has suggested up until now that National Treasury’s work on the nuclear build programme has not been completed. However, a careful reading of National Treasury 2013/14 and 2014/15 annual reports reveals that this is simply not true,” DA finance spokesperson David Maynier said.
“The National Treasury have produced reports based on studies of the feasibility of nuclear energy, the financing of nuclear energy as well as assessments of alternative energy options including nuclear energy.”
In his letter, Maynier asked for copies of a nuclear feasibility report, an assessment of the department of energy’s integrated energy plan and reports based on government studies on nuclear financing models — all of which he said were mentioned in National Treasury’s last two annual reports.
Maynier said transparency was essential because the build programme could prove a “financial tsunami” with significant financial risks for South Africa.
Nene is on record as saying that if the nuclear build were unaffordable, he would not sign off on it.
Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson is intent that the programme will go ahead and be affordable but has so far refused to provide studies by her department showing that the country could carry the cost.