#Budget2017: Treasury mum on nuclear

Koeberg Power Station File picture: Sam Clark/Independent Media

Koeberg Power Station File picture: Sam Clark/Independent Media

Published Feb 23, 2017

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Cape Town - National Treasury has remained silent on the budget for the nuclear build programme, despite Eskom calling for interested parties to submit requests for information.

Director-general in the Treasury Lungisa Fuzile on Wednesday said it was still early to talk about nuclear energy.

Fuzile said no funding had been allocated for the nuclear build programme, adding that the fiscus was not required to make funds available.

This is besides the R200 million allocated last year for the preparatory work for nuclear, he said.

Last December, Eskom issued a request for information to interested parties.

This sparked a response of 22 companies bidding for

the R1 trillion nuclear tender.

In his Budget speech in

the National Assembly yesterday, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said nothing about nuclear.

Even the Budget Review of the National Treasury did not say anything on the programme.

In his reply during the debate on the State of the Nation address, President Jacob Zuma insisted that South Africa would cover nuclear on a scale and pace that was affordable to the country.

Protesters outside Parliament yesterday also called for the government to scrap the nuclear deal.

Russian nuclear agency Rosatom has denied that it had already bagged the nuclear contract with South Africa.

Rosatom vice-president for southern Africa Viktor Polikarpov said it would bid like any other country including China, France, Korea and the US.

Last week Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson said 22 companies had submitted requests for information to Eskom.

She said this would be taken to the cabinet for discussion.

Eskom said it had not yet issued a request for proposals on nuclear.

However, the request for information would be able to determine who was able to do what.

The Energy Department also told Parliament last year that the first nuclear power plant would not come in 2022 as earlier projected.

This deadline has been shifted by 10 years to 2032 because of the work that has to be undertaken including the preparatory work.

Zuma insisted in the State of the Nation address nuclear was part of the energy mix programme for the government.

Opposition parties have raised concerns that this would be an expensive programme that would bankrupt the ­government.

However, a final decision would be made after all processes have been undertaken.

CAPE ARGUS

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