Russia's Rosatom plans to build 9.6 gigawatts of new nuclear power generation in South Africa under a framework signed Monday on the sidelines of an International Atomic Energy Agency conference.
The agreement lays the groundwork for future contracts to procure eight units over the next decade at a cost of $40 billion to $50 billion, most likely with Russian financing. Russian news agency ITAR-Tass quoted the head of Rosatom as saying the company would also help South Africa build a domestic nuclear power industry, potentially including fuel cycle facilities and joint projects in other countries.
South Africa currently operates a single French-built nuclear plant with two reactors at Koeberg. An environmental impact assessment begun in 2006 studied additional sites at Thyspunt, Bantamsklip and Duynefontein, with a draft report in 2010 favoring Thyspunt, according to the World Nuclear Association. For several years, the country's energy plans have called for substantial expansion of nuclear power, although past efforts have been hampered by a lack of financing. Should the Rosatom reactors envisioned in Monday's agreement come to fruition, they will meet the entire 9.6 gigawatts of new nuclear generation that South Africa's integrated resources plan envisions developing by 2030, according to The Times of South Africa.