South Africa and China have
signed a technical cooperation
agreement for nuclear energy
development.
The deal, signed by
SA’s National Nuclear
Regulator (NNR) in Beijng
late last month, includes
licensing procedures, vendor
inspections, inspector training
and joint inspections and
technical support.
According to the NNR,
China is competing with
Russia, France, the United
States and South Korea for
the South African nuclear
power plant construction
programme, which is worth up
to US$50 billion.
“Bilateral cooperation
arrangements such as these
serve as a valuable mechanism
for ensuring that the NNR’s
regulatory practices are
benchmarked against the
best current standards
and practices as applied
internationally within the
nuclear industry,” NNR’s chief
executive officer Bismark
Tyobeka said in a statement.
South Africa has one
nuclear power station but
relies heavily on coal for
electricity generation.
The new reactors are
expected to add 9 600
megawatts with the first unit
to be ready in 2023.
CAPTION
Eskom’s Koeberg power station near Cape Town is currently the only nuclear energy station in
South Africa.
