Johannesburg - The perceived front runner for the country’s R1 trillion nuclear tender, Russia’s state energy firm Rosatom, has dismissed suggestions that it has been assured of the contract and has lashed out at critics, saying they are trying to tarnish its image.
Viktor Polikarpov, head of Rosatom in southern Africa, says the company’s bid is fair and competitive.
Speaking on the sidelines of the energy summit in Cape Town this week, he said Rosatom was interested in gaining the contract because of its experience in building nuclear power plants across the globe.
There was no secrecy between South Africa and Russia, he said.
People who criticised the co-operation agreements between the two countries did not know what they were talking about.
“They want to create news when there is no news,” Polikarpov said.
“They are trying to politicise our partnership. We are not in politics. Rosatom is not in politics, we are in business. We are doing business in many countries around the world.
“We are the most referenced nuclear vendor in the world.”
There was no need to talk of bias in the procedures to be followed in choosing the winning bidder, he said. The bidders would compete as equals. South Africa had signed co-operation agreements not only with Russia, but also with China, South Korea, France and the US.
When South Africa signed co-operation agreements with these countries, nothing was said. “Why is Russia mentioned?” Polikarpov said.
The co-operation agreements with Russia – like those with France, China and others – had been made public, and people could study the details.
Polikarpov said critics would not find a single thing in the agreement that referred to a deal between Russia and South Africa.
A deal would be signed with the successful bidder at the end of the entire process.
Rosatom would be ready to start work tomorrow if it was awarded the contract, Polikarpov added.
The government’s proposed targets of the first of the new nuclear power plants coming online in 2023 and the last in 2030 were realistic, he said.
Some experts, however, have said that with the amount of work involved, the project would take 20 years to complete.
Polikarpov said the Russian company could complete the power plants in time if there were no delays. “If we delay, it will complicate the project.”
He agreed with statements by the government that it wanted to build a nuclear industry in the country.
The eight reactors envisaged by the government would not only be about completing the project but also about employing people and developing skills. “The nuclear build programme is not limited to building a reactor, it’s about changing the life of a country. In the project we will create more than 300 000 jobs. We can create business worth $10 billion.” The figure is equal to R123bn.
“We are keen on working with South African companies.”
If it was awarded the nuclear deal, Rosatom would ensure that 60 percent of the businesses it contracted were in South Africa, in line with the government’s policy of promoting industries in the country, he said.
Political Bureau