Academy of engineers calls for nuclear procurement halt until IRP consensus is reached

The South African Academy of Engineering (SAAE) has called for a moratorium on the procurement of new electricity generation capacity, including nuclear power, until consensus has been reached on a new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which should be the outcome of “proper consultation in an open and transparent process”. The academy, which is a voluntary organisation comprised of 197 eminent engineers across all disciplines, also called for the “hastily planned and convened Energy Indaba”, scheduled for December 7 and 8, to be postponed to January 2018. This would allow for “proper planning, including the release of a draft IRP by the Department of Energy (DoE) to allow meaningful participation by all relevant stakeholders”.