Nuclear Waters: The Water-Nuclear Nexus in South Africa
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-6689/16941Keywords:
nuclear, nuclear drought, water-nuclear nexus, heavy water, hydraulic citizenship, water, South AfricaAbstract
The study conducts a conceptual and analytical analysis of nuclear waters in South Africa. Given South Africa’s nuclear past and present, and the water-intensive nature of nuclear energy, the concept of nuclear waters is introduced to analyse the water-nuclear nexus in apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa. The article provides empirical evidence regarding the water-nuclear nexus in South Africa by presenting three illustrative case studies: the Cape Town water crisis of 2015 to 2019, colloquially known as Day Zero, the country’s main nuclear facility, Pelindaba, and South Africa’s production and export of heavy water. The study found that the water-nuclear nexus in post-apartheid South Africa prevails and manifests in nuclear droughts and limited and compromised hydraulic citizenship.
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