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| Eye to the Future |
2 February 2010 - Back |
| Author/Source: |
Business Day |
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JAN Wessels, CEO of Denel Dynamics, likes to compare the importance of investing in new technologies and the skills needed to develop them to forestry: you need to invest now for what you hope to harvest in 20 years’ time.
In many ways the uncertain future of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) company is similar to the challenges faced by the defence industry. Over decades the defence industry has developed a core of skills and technology that is likely to be lost as the government winds down its defence spend and the funds to sustain those skills dry up.
And so it is with the development of pebble bed modular reactor technology.
PBMR has enough funds to continue operations for no more than a couple of months and if the government does not come to its aid, it may have no choice but to shut down or severely curtail its operations until new investors are found.
That means releasing dozens of highly skilled nuclear scientists into the market. With the renaissance of nuclear power around the world, many of these specialists — particularly those in the prime of their careers — are sought after and will more than likely be lost to the country.
Furthermore, with many of the nuclear specialists approaching retirement age, it is vital that their skills are passed on to a younger generation while they are still able to do so.
It is conceivable that these specialists could be employed elsewhere in government, including at Eskom, but with no real demand for these skills, it is unlikely.
It is understandable that the government is feeling the pinch of the financial crisis and the recession that followed, and is unable to meet all the demands on its limited budget. But it must find the courage — and the funds — to pursue the PBMR project, particularly if SA plans to build nuclear power plants in the future.
There is a caveat, though. It requires a real commitment from the government if the project is to succeed. Assuming PBMR is sufficiently funded to properly sustain the development of pebble bed modular reactor technology, the government must put the organisation under pressure to deliver, either through the production of electricity or putting PBMR’s heat-generating technology to industrial use. For example, the technology can be adapted for the production of hydrogen or to extract crude from Canada’s oil sands. These applications could make PBMR commercially viable and make further development of the technology self-sustaining.
If the government had provided more than a halfhearted commitment to the project in the first place, and had had the foresight to harness its uses, it is possible that SA would not be facing the power shortage it does now. Without a proper commitment any further funding would be a complete waste of taxpayer s’ money. |
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