Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told the media that South Africa seeks to build a nuclear plant for electricity generation at a scale and speed that the country can afford.
Ramokgopa told the media these statements at the first Cabinet Lekgotla held in Tshwane over the weekend by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Government of National Unity (GNU).
The electricity minister said that over the long term, South Africa “needs to anchor the baseload and said that nuclear is an important part of that intervention”.
“We are working on the framework for procurement because we don’t want to discredit the process through a procurement process that is not transparent. We will do it at the scale and speed that we can afford as a country,” he said.
Ramokgopa further said that government will continue to be transparent and accountable in developing a robust framework for the procurement of nuclear energy in SA.
The minister moreover said that nuclear energy can be “soiled and discredited” by a lack of transparency and this administration would endeavour to try and be as accountable as possible.
Speaking on affordability, Ramokgopa said that the ministry wants to make the procurement of nuclear energy competitive and something SA can afford.
A need to reduce electricity costs
The minister said that poorer South Africans are battling to live up to the rising energy costs.
“The poor and those that are located in the townships are finding it exceptionally difficult to afford the increases in electricity. The pricing and the tariff is prohibitive and a lot of our people across the length and breadth of the country are not in a position to afford electricity,” Ramokgopa added.
He also acknowledged that there are major issues or challenges by municipalities providing power to poorer areas.
There are challenges on the distribution side and the ministry are aware of it, he said.
“We know that over a period of time municipalities have underinvested in the maintenance, replenishment and protection of the distribution grid and of course, we are paying the price now,” he concluded.
IOL