Siyabonga Mkhwanazi
PARLIAMENT has backed the government’s nuclear programme and denied that Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson is ducking questions on the country’s nuclear agreement with the Russians and the latest co-operation agreement with France.
After reports emerged of the $56 billion (R621bn) nuclear deal with Russia, the government has denied the existence of this contract but said that it was a co-operation agreement with the Russian government.
Similar agreements will be signed with other countries, including China and Japan.
Last week one agreement was signed with France.
Chairman of the portfolio committee on energy Fikile Majola told journalists on Friday, after a meeting of the committee, that Joemat-Pettersson would be in Parliament next week to face the committee.
He said he had spoken to Joemat-Pettersson several times on the need to appear before the committee but she was abroad last week.
He said Joemat-Pettersson had nothing to hide on the agreements the country had signed with Russia and France.
Two more co-operation agreements will be signed with China and Japan in due course.
The public announcement of the agreements with other countries came after the government dismissed reports that it had signed a nuclear deal with Rosatom of Russia to develop eight nuclear plants.
Majola added that Joemat-Pettersson was supposed to appear before the committee on Tuesday last week, but was out of the country.
“I have no doubt that if she did not go to France she would have been here on Tuesday to brief the committee. I have spoken to her at length. I have spoken to her again today,” said Majola. “She is going to come here, I can assure you.”
Majola also put paid to opposition suggestions that the nuclear programme be scrapped. He said that this was a decision of the government and that President Jacob Zuma announced in his June State of the Nation Address that there would be an energy mix including the use of coal, hydro, wind and nuclear. “It’s a policy of the government. It’s going to happen. They are going to proceed in the direction of nuclear.
“These things are going to be done. It’s a policy of the government. We must not be allergic to that. I don’t think it’s the role of the committee to stop the government. Our role is effective oversight to ensure that these things are implemented properly.”
While the government had signed co-operation agreements with Russia and France, it would also get into similar agreements with China and Japan, he said, adding that the use of nuclear was a priority and it was an urgent matter.
Parliament would not start discussing Coal 3 at this stage as the focus was getting the nuclear programme off the ground, he said.
Last year the government announced plans to build Coal 3, but it did not give details. Currently, three coal-fired power stations are in different stages of completion, with the first unit in Medupi expected to come on stream in December.
All the co-operation agreements the government had signed with nuclear-producing countries would come to Parliament for ratification.