Further studies on which site to select for state power company Eskom’s proposed 5,200 MW nuclear power station in South Africa should be limited to Thyspunt, about 700 km east of Cape Town, according to a draft environmental scoping report released for public comment.

The report says further investigation at the only other proposed site, Bantamsklip about 200 km east of Cape Town, should not be prioritised because of the area’s cultural landscape status.

Both sites encompass landscapes that have “a sense of place with strong coastal wilderness qualities”. Both would require overhead powerlines to connect the new plant to the national grid, the report says.

Bantamsklip is in “a very remote location” and constructing the new plant here would have “an acute impact” as there are few large distribution lines or load centres nearby.