Johannesburg – The government is forging ahead with plans to spend as much as R1trn on new nuclear plants, ignoring objections from environmental activists, opposition parties, unions and even its own advisers.
Bids will be sought from the US, China, France, Russia and South Korea to add 9 600MW of atomic power to the national grid to address energy shortages, President Jacob Zuma said in his annual state- of-the-nation address on Thursday. The first output is targeted for 2023, he said.
“We know exactly what we need,” Zuma said in response to questions after a speech in Cape Town Friday. “We are now well informed. We are moving ahead.”