Minister of Energy has advised that S.A must build more nuclear power station

Nontando Mafanya

11 May 2016

 Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson says South Africa will only build what it can afford when it comes to the government’s plans for a nuclear power.

 Joemat-Pettersson has reiterated in Parliament that South Africa needs to expand its nuclear energy supply to provide base-load electricity and to meet targets to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.

The minister was introducing the debate on her department’s R7,5 billion budget in the National Assembly. 

She gave no date for when her department will issue its request for proposals for the nuclear build programme.

But she says the request for proposals will both test the market’s appetite, and provide Cabinet with binding commercial and financial information to allow it to decide on how to implement the government’s nuclear power plans.