Hogan smells the Nuclear coffee

He said the technology was best suited for decentralised areas without a connection to the grid, and being modular in nature, several units can be added to supply the amount of electricity and heat needed by individual customers.

SHOOT: South Africa needed to invest in this technology, heavily, about 10 years ago. The idea that we might start now and come online ten years from now, in 2018, in these financial and energy predicament conditions, is fanciful. I am a supporter of nuclear, but with one condition - you need to guarantee that the facility can be maintained and serviced, and that it is secure. I'm not sure if South Africa can say this. Our record in almost every area is poor, or deteriorating, with the possible exception of the finance sector.
Hogan is right to see Nuclear as a solution, but we've missed the boat. France got it right, China has also invested fairly heavily in it.

clipped from www.reuters.com JOHANNESBURG, July 30 (Reuters) - South Africa sees nuclear playing a key role in meeting growing demand in the continent's biggest economy, which is battling a power crunch, the Minister of Public Enterprises, Barbara Hogan, said on Thursday. "There is a lot of controversy about nuclear in the world... (but) there can be little doubt now that nuclear is going to play one of the most important components in our energy provisions going forward," she told a conference. South Africa is one of the pioneers in developing a power and heat processing plant based on the pebble-fuel technology. Jaco Kriek, chief executive of the technology firm spearheading the effort, said the first pilot plant to generate 80 megawatts of electricity could come on stream by 2018, with initial costs estimated at 27 billion rand ($3.45 billion).