PRETORIA, October 6 (Itar-Tass) —— Rosatom state-owned corporation suggested to the South African Republic a 40 percent localisation of nuclear energy production, the corporation’s Vice President Ivo Kouklik told NIASA Nuclear Empowerment Conference in Johannesburg on Saturday.
The Russian state-owned corporation plans to participate in a tender for construction of six nuclear reactors in the South African Republic.
“The implementation of the Russian project on construction of nuclear power plants allows localisation of about 40 percent,” he said. “Then, direct revenues for the SAR may be: 15 billion dollars /US/ in additional revenues of local companies, 3.4 billion dollars in collected taxes, and 15,000 additional jobs,” Kiuklik told the forum.
Later in the year the republic will organise a tender for construction by 2030 of new nuclear reactors with the capacity of 9.6 Gig watts, thus raising the share of nuclear energy in the country’s energy balance from five to 25 percent. The option to implement the expensive project will be limited with the condition to localise production and to offer jobs in the SAR, where unemployment makes 24 percent.
Vice President of the South African Republic Kgalema Motlanthe said recently that the country’s experience in operating Koeberg, Africa’s only nuclear power plant, may be used in domestic production of most equipment. He stressed the country would be buying only what it cannot produce itself.
In March of the current year, Rosatom Overseas, which promotes Rusatom’s projects in the international market, joined the Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa /NIASA/ as a sponsor-member. In June, the company signed a memorandum on mutual understanding with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation /NECSA/ about necessary business projects to produce and market isotope products, as well as to produce nuclear fuel and energy equipment.