South Africa Plans Nuclear Plant For Electricity Generation: Ramokgopa

Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced that South Africa plans to build a nuclear power plant for generating electricity at a scale and pace that fits within the country's budget.

The minister made this statement while talking to the media during the Cabinet Lekgotla held in Tshwane over the weekend. President Cyril Ramaphosa led the first Lekgotla of the Government of National Unity (GNU), outlining the action plan for the government's seventh administration.

"In the long term, we need to ensure that we anchor the baseload and 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," he said, SA News reported.

He added, "We will do it at the scale and speed that we can afford as a country. The poor and those that are located in the townships are finding it exceptionally difficult to afford the increases in electricity."

Regarding electricity affordability, Ramokgopa highlighted that many South Africans struggle with high prices and tariffs, making electricity unaffordable for widespread use across the country.

He pointed out challenges in distribution, noting that municipalities have not adequately invested in maintaining and upgrading the distribution grid, leading to current issues.

At the lekgotla, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau reassured the public that policies like Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) will remain intact under the seventh administration.

Tau emphasized these policies are essential for social justice and equity, addressing historical imbalances, which are foundational to the Government of National Unity's principles.

"The question is what do we do going forward? Of course, we need to look at the next wave of [BBBEE]...where there are lessons to be learnt, we take those lessons into account and where there are greater opportunities to be introduced, we need to be able to introduce those," he said.

He added, "We have placed this firmly on the agenda of the programs that would be driven by this administration and that is why we always say we are focusing on industrialization, but we are equally focusing on transformation."

Minister Tau emphasized that fostering economic growth and development in South Africa is a top priority for the government. Under the seventh administration, a major focus will be on leveraging Operation Vulindela as a key program.

This initiative aims to strengthen network industries, with a particular emphasis on sectors like energy, logistics, the digital economy and others. The progress already achieved in these areas will serve as a foundation for boosting industrialization and re-industrialization.