Tender for nuclear programme delayed by ongoing consultations

THE GOVERNMENT has expressed doubt that the request for proposals for the nuclear build programme will be advertised today as earlier suggested by Energy Minister Tina JoematPettersson in Parliament.

Yesterday, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe said he did not think the tender would go out today.

This was the Department of Energy’s first step to test the market in order to determine the cost of the programme.

It has been suggested that the nuclear project would cost R1 trillion. There are plans to build six to eight nuclear reactors by 2030, with the first nuclear plant to go online in 2023.

Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor also said this week that the tender would not be issued today. She said consultations were continuing, with energy policies under discussion.

The Integrated Resource Plan has not been updated. But the department has said in the past the country was operating on the IRP 2010. This meant that the IRP has not been updated.

Joemat-Pettersson told Parliament, during question time to ministers in the economics cluster two weeks ago that the request for proposal would be issued today.

Radebe, who was briefing the media yesterday, said the request for proposals was not likely to be issued today.

“I have indicated that there are consultations that are taking place. When the cabinet deliberated on this matter in December 2015, the whole issue of nuclear was to be led by the Department of Energy, and now there is Eskom,” he said.

This was in reference to whether the government has taken a firm position that the Department of Energy was going to be the lead agent in the nuclear procurement programme.

This week, Eskom said it would be able to be the lead agent in the implementation.

Radebe also acknowledged that there were court cases challenging the plans.

He said the government wanted to determine if the court cases, by environmental groups, would affect the programme.

Earthlife Africa and the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute want the court to set aside the nuclear deal and the government to come clean on its full cost.

Radebe said that based on the number of consultations needed, he doubted the request for proposal would be issued today.