Koeberg Alert
Encyclopedia
Koeberg Alert formed in 1983 and started out as a local campaign against South Africa
's nuclear programme, in particular the construction of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station
. Koeberg Alert is possibly the country's first activist green movement, apart from Nan Rice's Dolphin Action and Protection Group
. For years it was allied to the broader democratic and anti-apartheid movement. It currently organizes various anti-nuclear
campaigns, as well as participates in the wider anti-war
and peace movement
s.
It was reformed in February 2010, when it engaged with the National Nuclear Regulator over a visit by the nuclear submarine HMS Sceptre. In March 2010, the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the Nuclear-1 build was reaching its final stages with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report, and Koeberg Alert is at the time of writing conducting public meetings to raise awareness about this, and aims to prepare several detailed submissions.
, Campaign Against Nuclear Energy
(CANE) and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
, on January 8, 1982, Umkhonto we Sizwe
, the armed wing of the ANC attacked Koeberg nuclear power plant, by firing SA-7 missiles into the enclosure. It was actually limpet mines, but the Koeberg alert people know better. SA-7 is a surface to air missle. Koeberg Alert claimed not to support violence or the use of force in any of its campaigns.
, Alan Boesak, Nosie Peterse and Mklulele George meet before students under the banner "Forward to a non-racist, non-sexist and nuclear-free continent."
research facility results in the exposure of workers to radiation. Harold Daniels and several others die from cancers and radiation burns related to the exposure.
the international environmental organisation, hung an anti-nuclear protest banner from the power plant, resulting in 12 members being arrested and fined.. Koeberg Alert supports the non-violent and peaceful activity of organisations such as Greenpeace.
. Then on the evening of the 23rd November 2005, a routine inspection of the backup safety system revealed a below-specification concentration of an important chemical, which had resulted in a controlled shutdown of the reactor. On Christmas Day, 2005, an 8cm (about the size of a finger) loose bolt finds its way into the rotor of Unit 1, causing damage to some of the 105 bars that line the device, and putting the generator out of action for three to nine months, depending on the availability of spares. Investigations are still underway as to how this occurred, or whether the two incidents are related.
(90Sr) and Caesium-137
(137Cs) from Koeberg exceed European Safety guidelines. Allowable limits had to be raised in order to accommodate the plant. 90Sr is a by-product of nuclear fission which is found in nuclear fallout and presents a health problem since it substitutes for calcium in bone, preventing expulsion from the body. 137Cs because it is a long-lived high-energy beta emitter with a half-life of 30.17 years is one of the two principal medium-lived fission products, along with strontium-90, which are responsible for most of the radioactivity of spent nuclear fuel 137Cs beta decays to barium-137m (a short-lived nuclear isomer) then to nonradioactive barium-137, and is also a strong emitter of gamma radiation. 137Cs has a very low rate of neutron capture and cannot be feasibly disposed of, but must be allowed to decay. The committee is also told how both the Tweelopiespruit and Wonderfonteinspruit in the Krugersdorp-Randfontein area have been contaminated by uranium mine tailings caused by South Africa's nuclear and mining industry.
is reported by NECSA. Abnormal levels of gamma radiation associated with Xenon and Krypton gases are detected, causing an evacuation of staff and an emergency to be declared. Mike Kantey is forceably ejected from a "nuclear stakeholders meeting" in Cape Town.
(58Co) isotope with a half-life of 70.86 days. Eskom announces a "review" of the situation which will "recommend further steps to avoid recurrence."
Earlier the same month, Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan announced the ANC government decision to mothball the PBMR project after more than 11 years of research. The cost to the taxpayer was R7.4bn.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
's nuclear programme, in particular the construction of Koeberg Nuclear Power Station
Koeberg nuclear power station
Koeberg nuclear power station is the only nuclear power station in South Africa and the entire African continent. It is located 30 km north of Cape Town, near Melkbosstrand on the west coast of South Africa. Koeberg is owned and operated by the country's only national electricity supplier, Eskom...
. Koeberg Alert is possibly the country's first activist green movement, apart from Nan Rice's Dolphin Action and Protection Group
Dolphin Action and Protection Group
Dolphin Action and Protection Group is a non-governmental organization in South Africa which campaigns for the protection and conservation of dolphins and whales . The group was founded in 1977. DAPG has since then broadened its role and activities and has run many national educational and...
. For years it was allied to the broader democratic and anti-apartheid movement. It currently organizes various anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
campaigns, as well as participates in the wider anti-war
Anti-war
An anti-war movement is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term can also refer to pacifism, which is the opposition to all use of military force during conflicts. Many...
and peace movement
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement that seeks to achieve ideals such as the ending of a particular war , minimize inter-human violence in a particular place or type of situation, often linked to the goal of achieving world peace...
s.
It was reformed in February 2010, when it engaged with the National Nuclear Regulator over a visit by the nuclear submarine HMS Sceptre. In March 2010, the Environmental Impact Assessment process for the Nuclear-1 build was reaching its final stages with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Report, and Koeberg Alert is at the time of writing conducting public meetings to raise awareness about this, and aims to prepare several detailed submissions.
Broad alliance of anti-nuclear organisations
Koeberg alert is part of a global campaign against nuclear power and has established links with organisations such as Earthlife AfricaEarthlife Africa
Earthlife Africa is a South African environmental and anti-nuclear organization founded in August 1988, in Johannesburg. Initially conceived of as a South African version of Greenpeace, the group began by playing a radical, anti-apartheid, activist role. ELA is arguably now more of a reformist...
, Campaign Against Nuclear Energy
Campaign Against Nuclear Energy
The Campaign Against Nuclear Energy was established in Perth, Western Australia on 14 February 1976 by Friends of the Earth ; this included: Peter Brotherton, FOE coordinator WA and John Carlin, Mike Thomas and Barrie Machin after a meeting at University of WA...
(CANE) and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Campaigns
Various campaigns within the forum exist:- Campaign against the Pebble Bed Modular ReactorPebble bed reactorThe pebble bed reactor is a graphite-moderated, gas-cooled, nuclear reactor. It is a type of very high temperature reactor , one of the six classes of nuclear reactors in the Generation IV initiative...
- Commitment to a Nuclear power phase-out
- International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear WarInternational Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear Waris a non-partisan federation of national medical groups in 63 countries, representing tens of thousands of doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned citizens who share the common goal of creating a more peaceful and secure world freed from the threat of nuclear annihilation...
, - Campaign Against uraniumUraniumUranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mining - Programme for renewable energyRenewable energyRenewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
,
Notable people
Some notable people active in the organisation:- Mike Kantey - former secretary
- David Fig
- Andy Pienaar
- Peter Becker - reformed organisation in 2010
Construction of Koeberg begins
Construction of the plant began in 1976, and Unit 1 was synchronised to the grid on 4 April 1984. Unit 2 followed on 25 July 1985.1979 South Africa joins the nuclear club
In 1979, a U.S. Vela satellite detected a flash of light in the south Atlantic. The evidence pointed to a nuclear bomb test by South Africa. The existence of several nuclear warheads by the white minority National Party government was denied until the 1990s.1982 Koeberg Event
On the 70th anniversary of the formation of the ANCAfrican National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
, on January 8, 1982, Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe
Umkhonto we Sizwe , translated "Spear of the Nation," was the armed wing of the African National Congress which fought against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961...
, the armed wing of the ANC attacked Koeberg nuclear power plant, by firing SA-7 missiles into the enclosure. It was actually limpet mines, but the Koeberg alert people know better. SA-7 is a surface to air missle. Koeberg Alert claimed not to support violence or the use of force in any of its campaigns.
1987 Anti-Apartheid Movement and Koeberg Alert
During the UCT campus revolt, also called unrest by the apartheid regime, Farid EsackFarid Esack
Farid Esack is a South African Muslim scholar, writer, and political activist known for his opposition to apartheid, his appointment by Nelson Mandela as a gender equity commissioner, and his work for inter-religious dialogue.-Early life:...
, Alan Boesak, Nosie Peterse and Mklulele George meet before students under the banner "Forward to a non-racist, non-sexist and nuclear-free continent."
1990 De Klerk terminates South Africa's nuclear weapons programme
On February 26 FW de Klerk issued orders to terminate the country's nuclear weapons programme, which until then had been a state secret. South Africa becomes the first country in the world to voluntary give-up its nuclear weapons programme.1996 Pelindaba Accident
An accident at PelindabaPelindaba
Pelindaba is South Africa's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored...
research facility results in the exposure of workers to radiation. Harold Daniels and several others die from cancers and radiation burns related to the exposure.
1997 Vaalputs Storage Facility Accident
Workers are forced to clean up a nuclear waste spillage at Vaalputs. The contract workers hired to clean up defective nuclear waste containers in a trench are outsourced as a ‘casual job’, and are not provided with protective clothing.2002 Greenpeace action at Koeberg
In August 2002 GreenpeaceGreenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
the international environmental organisation, hung an anti-nuclear protest banner from the power plant, resulting in 12 members being arrested and fined.. Koeberg Alert supports the non-violent and peaceful activity of organisations such as Greenpeace.
2005 Koeberg SCRAM
On November 11, 2005, the plant undergoes an emergency shut down following an incident related to power controls within the plant. The incident is thought to be to a routine SCRAMScram
A scram or SCRAM is an emergency shutdown of a nuclear reactor – though the term has been extended to cover shutdowns of other complex operations, such as server farms and even large model railroads...
. Then on the evening of the 23rd November 2005, a routine inspection of the backup safety system revealed a below-specification concentration of an important chemical, which had resulted in a controlled shutdown of the reactor. On Christmas Day, 2005, an 8cm (about the size of a finger) loose bolt finds its way into the rotor of Unit 1, causing damage to some of the 105 bars that line the device, and putting the generator out of action for three to nine months, depending on the availability of spares. Investigations are still underway as to how this occurred, or whether the two incidents are related.
2007 Nuclear Hearings
Koeberg Alert participates in a parliamentary portfolio committee inquiry into the Nuclear Industry, delivering submissions and hearing from widows and workers exposed to radiation during the 1996 Pelindaba accident. It is also revealed that routine emissions of radioactive isotopes such as Strontium-90Strontium-90
Strontium-90 is a radioactive isotope of strontium, with a half-life of 28.8 years.-Radioactivity:Natural strontium is nonradioactive and nontoxic, but 90Sr is a radioactivity hazard...
(90Sr) and Caesium-137
Caesium-137
Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed as a fission product by nuclear fission.It has a half-life of about 30.17 years, and decays by beta emission to a metastable nuclear isomer of barium-137: barium-137m . Caesium-137 is a radioactive isotope of caesium which is formed...
(137Cs) from Koeberg exceed European Safety guidelines. Allowable limits had to be raised in order to accommodate the plant. 90Sr is a by-product of nuclear fission which is found in nuclear fallout and presents a health problem since it substitutes for calcium in bone, preventing expulsion from the body. 137Cs because it is a long-lived high-energy beta emitter with a half-life of 30.17 years is one of the two principal medium-lived fission products, along with strontium-90, which are responsible for most of the radioactivity of spent nuclear fuel 137Cs beta decays to barium-137m (a short-lived nuclear isomer) then to nonradioactive barium-137, and is also a strong emitter of gamma radiation. 137Cs has a very low rate of neutron capture and cannot be feasibly disposed of, but must be allowed to decay. The committee is also told how both the Tweelopiespruit and Wonderfonteinspruit in the Krugersdorp-Randfontein area have been contaminated by uranium mine tailings caused by South Africa's nuclear and mining industry.
2009 Pelindaba leak
16 March 2009, a leak of radioactive gases from PelindabaPelindaba
Pelindaba is South Africa's main Nuclear Research Centre, run by The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, and was the location where South Africa's atomic bombs of the 1970s were developed, constructed and subsequently stored...
is reported by NECSA. Abnormal levels of gamma radiation associated with Xenon and Krypton gases are detected, causing an evacuation of staff and an emergency to be declared. Mike Kantey is forceably ejected from a "nuclear stakeholders meeting" in Cape Town.
2010 Koeberg accident
September 2010, 91 workers at Koeberg were contaminated by Cobalt-58Isotopes of cobalt
Naturally occurring cobalt is composed of 1 stable isotope, 59Co. 28 radioisotopes have been characterized with the most stable being 60Co with a half-life of 5.2714 years, 57Co with a half-life of 271.79 days, 56Co with a half-life of 77.27 days, and 58Co with a half-life of 70.86 days...
(58Co) isotope with a half-life of 70.86 days. Eskom announces a "review" of the situation which will "recommend further steps to avoid recurrence."
Earlier the same month, Public Enterprises Minister Barbara Hogan announced the ANC government decision to mothball the PBMR project after more than 11 years of research. The cost to the taxpayer was R7.4bn.
See also
- Cape Town Ecology GroupCape Town Ecology GroupThe Cape Town Ecology Group is a South African based radical environmental group, founded in 1987, as a "child of Koeberg Alert", and active until the early 1990s. It espoused a more political-orientated green ideology as opposed to the apartheid-based conservation groups of the time...
- Campaign Against Nuclear EnergyCampaign Against Nuclear EnergyThe Campaign Against Nuclear Energy was established in Perth, Western Australia on 14 February 1976 by Friends of the Earth ; this included: Peter Brotherton, FOE coordinator WA and John Carlin, Mike Thomas and Barrie Machin after a meeting at University of WA...
- Earthlife AfricaEarthlife AfricaEarthlife Africa is a South African environmental and anti-nuclear organization founded in August 1988, in Johannesburg. Initially conceived of as a South African version of Greenpeace, the group began by playing a radical, anti-apartheid, activist role. ELA is arguably now more of a reformist...