Pelindaba nuclear facility
 Pelindaba nuclear facility(Nuclear weapons)    | |
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| R&D facility for South Africa's nuclear weapons |
Pelindaba nuclear facility is South Africa's main nuclear R&D centre, run by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation and situated south-east of the Hartbeespoort Dam, approximately 33 km (22 miles) west of Pretoria.
A 4 Megavolt Van de Graaff particle accelerator operates at Pelindaba for various purposes in nuclear scientific research.
During the apartheid era, it was the location where South Africa's atomic weapons were developed and constructed.
History
The research reactor SAFARI-1 was received from the United States, constructed and inaugurated in 1965. Since then, it has operated with an output of up to 20 MW. The reactor cost $10.5 million. Enriched uranium for use in the reactor was initially supplied by the US and has been subject to IAEA safeguards.[1]
At the time of Pelindaba's inauguration, future cooperation between France and South Africa on nuclear technology was anticipated. That relationship ultimately lead to the establishment of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.
While the official purpose of the Pelindaba facility was "to harness the versatile power of the atom and apply it to maximum peaceful advantage" it was also speculated that South Africa could produce its own nuclear weapons by 1966.
Chronology
In 1966, Pelindaba reported detecting elevated levels of radiation following French nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific.
In 1970, it was officially revealed that the development of a pilot plant for the enrichment of uranium was under way. Prime Minister John Vorster said of the development that "our sole objective in the development and application of the process is to promote the peaceful application of nuclear energy. Only then can it be to our benefit and to the benefit of mankind." Details of the method of uranium enrichment were withheld as official state secrets.
In 1975, Pelindaba ordered shipments of weapons grade uranium from the US, specified for "peaceful uses only". It was to be supplied on condition that any plutonium produced from its fission be returned to the US. 27 months later, no shipments had been received.[2]
In 1975, Prime Minister John Vorster said that he expected South Africa to have new uranium enrichment capacity by 1983. He stated that while South Africa was seeking international partners in its enrichment program, it would "go it alone" if necessary. The enrichment process developed at Pelindaba promised to provide major efficiency gains over prior centrifugal processes.
In 1977, Finance Minister Owen Horwood stated that his party stood by its assurance that its nuclear program was for peaceful purposes, but also that it reserved the right to use its potential for other-than-peaceful purposes. The same year, the London Telegraph reported that South Africa had the capability to make nuclear weapons "any time it wishes."
In September 1979, the Vela Incident, also known as the South Atlantic Flash, was detected by an American Vela Hotel satellite near the Prince Edward Islands off Antarctica. Investigations determined that it was of nuclear origin and resulted from a joint South African-Israeli nuclear test.[3]
In 1984, Associated Press reported that South Africa had refused international inspections of facilities at Pelindaba and associated enrichment works at Valindaba. In 1988, the New York Times reported that the SAFARI-1 reactor at Pelindaba was regularly inspected by the IAEA.
In 1992, it was revealed that the Valindaba facility, also known as Pelindaba East, had enriched uranium for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. The plant was operational from 1975 until 1990.
In 1996, the Associated Press described Pelindaba as the place "once at the heart of South Africa's (nuclear) weapons program".
The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) was established as a public company by the new government of South Africa in 1999.
Treaty of Pelindaba
The Treaty of Pelindaba establishing a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in Africa was signed in 1996 and came into effect with the 28th ratification on 15 July 2009.[4]
Related Document
| Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Document:The Color of David Cameron's Underwear | Article | 8 February 2015 | Gordon Duff | Gordon Duff reveals a $50 million slush fund, involving the theft of three South African nuclear weapons, which illicitly and disgracefully filled Conservative and Labour Party coffers |
References
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