Koeberg added R29bn to Western Cape economy in three years‚ KPMG says

30 March 2017 - 16:21 By Bekezela Phakathi
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Eskom's National Grid Pylons carrying SA's electricity buzz & hum at sunset outside Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. File photo.
Eskom's National Grid Pylons carrying SA's electricity buzz & hum at sunset outside Koeberg Nuclear Power Station. File photo.
Image: ESA ALEXANDER /©SUNDAY TIMES

Koeberg‚ Africa’s only nuclear power station‚ situated in the Western Cape‚ contributed R29bn to the economy of the province and R23bn to SA’s GDP between 2013 and 2016.

According to a study by professional services company KPMG‚ which was commissioned by Eskom‚ the power station is expected to add a further R27bn to the Western Cape economy and an additional R22bn to the country’s broader economy between 2016 and 2020.

During the same period‚ Koeberg expects to create 2‚300 direct and 42‚000 indirect jobs annually in the Western Cape. Nationally‚ the power station expects to contribute approximately 63‚000 jobs‚ KPMG says in the study.

The results of study‚ which was released on Thursday at the Koeberg plant‚ are likely to bolster Eskom’s push for nuclear power.

Eskom interim group CEO Matshela Koko said: "While we understand the significance of Koeberg within Eskom in terms of the generation of electricity‚ we needed a substantiated independent view on the added benefit of Koeberg’s investment spending and daily operations. We therefore briefed KPMG to conduct a study on the impact of Africa’s only nuclear power station on the socioeconomic status of the province and SA."

KPMG director and economist Lullu Krugel said the methodology employed to conduct the study was based on "internationally accepted standards"‚ detailed information supplied by Eskom and official statistics.

Koeberg has an installed capacity of 1‚860MW‚ which provides 50% of the Western Cape’s and approximately 5.6% of SA’s energy needs. Eskom says Koeberg is one of its most reliable and cheapest plants to run.

- TMG Digital/BusinessLIVE

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