The choice of atomic power for electricity in South Africa

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Date

2013

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Abstract

South Africa needs to both increase its electricity generation, and to incrementally transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources. The most cost-effective strategy would be a mix of imported hydropower, solar power, and imported gas, which is cleaner than burning local coal. A small but skilful atomic power lobby driven by a relatively few bureaucrats, engineers, and politicians has successfully dominated electricity decision-making over choice of generation options under both late apartheid and the first two decades of democracy. The Government’s tenacious determination to choose atomic power is price-inelastic, which indicates that political considerations, not economic, are the driver.

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Paper presented at the South African Association of Political Studies regional colloquium, Unisa, Pretoria, 4 October 2013.

Keywords

Atomic power, South Africa, Electricity, Policy choice

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