In parliament on Tuesday, the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) strategy executive Joe Mwase said public objections to building a nuclear power plant in an area must be based on proven threats to either health or the environment, if they are to be heeded.
"If a community objects to a [nuclear] power plant being put in its neighborhood because of its effect on the ecosystem, obviously that's a criterion that the NNR takes quite seriously."

He said the job of the South African NNR is to protect the environment.

"If that power plant is likely to damage that ecosystem, we can't license it".

If it is determined the site is safe in terms of seismic issues, and there are no negative impacts in terms of the environment and public health, then the NNR would pronounce: "Yes, on the basis of this, we can license this site," SAPA quoted him as saying.

Mwase was responding to a question on what weight the regulator would attach to a community's objections if 100 percent of that community is opposed to a nuclear plant being built in their neighbourhood.

Earlier, he told committee members it would take the NNR about 40 months to process a nuclear power plant license application, though it is possible to "fast track" such an application without compromising safety requirements.

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