Arr, South Africa be plannin' to erect new nuclear plants, but fears be sailin' high with Russia's involvement, mateys!
2023-12-12
Arrr, me hearties! On Tuesday, the South African scallywags be shoutin' from the rooftops their plan to construct new nuclear power stations, all in the hopes of battlin' them pesky blackouts and other energy-related miseries that be plaguin' the land. Avast!
The South African government has announced plans to construct new nuclear power stations in order to address the country's energy crisis and frequent blackouts. The decision to invite bids for the construction of these stations has been met with criticism from the main political opposition party, who claim that the government has a preference for Russian state-owned nuclear agency Rosatom. However, government officials have not disclosed any potential bidders at this time.The opposition Democratic Alliance's criticism is linked to a previous controversial nuclear deal that South Africa signed with Russia in 2014. This deal, estimated at $76 billion, was deemed illegal and unconstitutional by a South African court in 2017 due to allegations of corruption. It was signed during the presidency of Jacob Zuma, who is currently facing unrelated corruption charges.
In addition to the plans for new nuclear stations, the South African government has recently approved an agreement with Russian bank Gazprombank to restart an oil refinery on the country's south coast. This refinery has been non-operational since 2020. Gazprombank is one of several Russian financial institutions sanctioned by the United States.
South Africa currently only has one nuclear plant, the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, which is located near Cape Town. However, other African countries, including Burkina Faso, Mali, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Egypt, have either signed nuclear power agreements with Russia or have plans to build nuclear power plants.
The unstable electricity supply in many parts of Africa presents an opportunity for Russia's nuclear business to expand its influence on the continent. This is particularly significant considering Russia's strained relationship with the West due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Zizamele Mbambo, a deputy director-general in the South African government, reassured that the tender process for the new power stations would be transparent and approved by the energy regulator. However, the completion of these stations is not expected until 2032 or 2033 at the earliest.