ActionSA Advocates for Nuclear Power to Bolster South Africa's Clean Energy Profile

Johannesburg-based political party, ActionSA, has concluded its three-day policy conference at the Birchwood Hotel, during which over 600 delegates cast their votes on various draft policy initiatives, notably those related to energy production. ActionSA members have overwhelmingly voted for the inclusion of nuclear power in South Africa's clean energy generation plan, signaling a significant policy shift towards alternative energy sources.

ActionSA’s recently unveiled policy document clearly indicates the party’s support for the shift from fossil-based energy production to greener, renewable alternatives. However, the document additionally emphasizes that such a transition must be balanced against the potential risks to the country’s economic growth.

Bill Gould, a delegate from the Eastern Cape, proposed an amendment to the energy policy, suggesting the inclusion of nuclear fission as a core aspect of the party's energy strategy. Despite the catastrophic incidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima, Gould affirmed that nuclear power is a safe choice for energy production, with the added benefits of being clean, reliable, and practically inexhaustible.

"Nuclear power provides an almost unending source of electricity and South Africa possesses about 35% of the world's uranium reserves," Gould said. "Moreover, nuclear power emits no greenhouse gases, making it a viable energy source regardless of the availability of sun or wind."