22 Sep (NucNet): Russian and South Africa have signed an intergovernmental agreement that lays the foundations for the construction of up to eight new nuclear units in South Africa, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said.
The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s general conference in Vienna, provides for the construction of Russian VVER nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of up to 9.6 gigawatts, Rosatom said. If construction goes ahead, the reactors will be the first units based on Russian VVER technology to be built on the African continent.
Apart from the joint construction of nuclear plants, the agreement also provides for “comprehensive collaboration” in other areas of the nuclear power industry, including construction of a multipurpose research reactor based on Russian technology, help with the development of nuclear infrastructure, and education of South African nuclear specialists in Russian universities.
South Africa has two commercially operational nuclear units at the Koeberg nuclear station. According to the IAEA, the units account for about five percent of the country’s generated electricity
