Russia’s Rosatom would be open to participating in the financing of South Africa’s nuclear build programme should it be selected as the country’s nuclear energy strategic partner and such participation be required, the State-owned group’s second most senior executive said here on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference, Rosatom first deputy director-general Kirill Komarov said the group, as a State-owned entity, had access to financing for the projects it implemented in the form of government-to-government loans and that it could also participate as a joint venture partner.

South Africa intends installing eight nuclear power generation units with a combined capacity of 9 600 MW, with the first unit expected to come on stream in 2023.

South African Nuclear Energy Corporation CEO Phumzile Tshelane who, like Komarov, was speaking on the sidelines of the seventh Atomexpo nuclear energy conference, said the process to select a strategic partner was advancing, with the South African government having signed agreements with Russia, China, Japan, the US and South Korea. All these countries had undertaken vendor parades “to show what they can offer”.

“We will have a strategic nuclear energy partner by the end of the year,” said Tshelane.

Responding to a question on whether 9 600 MW would not be excessive for South Africa, Komarov said that would not be the case, as this capacity would be installed gradually, in line with increases in demand.

He said Rosatom would also be open to participating with other vendors in the build programme if the South African government felt it needed to spread its risk by appointing more than one vendor.

The group previously stated that it would implement programmes to transfer skills to South Africans and work towards localisation should it be selected to build South Africa’s next nuclear power plant or plants. It would also be ready to supply the country with nuclear fuel.

South Africa’s sole nuclear plant, Koeberg, in the Western Cape, accounts for a small proportion of its electricity supply, which is overwhelmingly dominated by coal.

Rosatom is the world’s foremost nuclear power plant (NPP) builder, with nine new units currently under construction in Russia and a further 29 in other countries. It is involved in the entire nuclear energy value chain – from uranium mining to NPP building and decommissioning, fuel supply and the handling of waste.

The group’s NPP construction order book for the next ten years stands at about $100-billion.

Martin Zhuwakinyu is in Moscow as a guest of Rosatom