Paris - Energy Minister Dipuo Peters confirmed on Wednesday that a tender proposal for the construction of 9 600 megawatts of nuclear power by 2030 currently under review by cabinet could be worth at least R1-trillion.
The value would make it the highest public tender ever issued in South Africa, raising questions about how the government and state-owned utility Eskom would raise the money to pay for the plants.
“We have not as yet done the full calculation and it is only at the time that we place the bid that we will be sure about the total cost, but it would be about that or more,” Peters told Reuters Insider in response to questions regarding speculation about the R1-trillion cost of the tender.