South Africa plans to sign new, more transparent nuclear power agreements with five foreign countries. The planned agreements follow the decision of South Africa’s high court to deny a deal with Russia due to a lack of oversight.
The country signed intergovernmental agreements with Russia, France, China, South Korea and the US in 2014 as part of plans to build a fleet of nuclear power plants at a cost of between $30 billion and $70 billion.
The Western Cape High Court handed down a decision in April saying that the agreement with Russia lacked transparency and offered Moscow favorable tax rules while placing heavy financial obligations on South Africa.
The energy Ministry expressed concerns about the judgement from the High Court but said it would not appeal the judgement. Instead the ministry said it would continue with nuclear energy plans adhering to stricter procedural guidelines, including consulting parliament.
“There is no intention to table the current agreements but (we) will embark to sign new agreements with all five countries and table them within reasonable time to parliament,” the Ministry said in a statement.