No nuclear deal, says Ramaphosa

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says no nuclear deal has been entered into with any country.

The deputy president said this when responding to oral questions at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Wednesday.

An MP had asked, among other questions, whether government has entered into a nuclear deal with any country.

“Government has not entered into a nuclear deal with any country,” the deputy president said.

He said government remains committed to an open, fair and transparent procurement process.

Government wants to implement the programme at a scale and pace that the country can afford.

“A request for proposals for a nuclear new build programme of 9 600 MW will be released to the market during this financial year in line with the Cabinet decision taken on 9 December last year.

“The Department of Energy is currently consulting with relevant stakeholders to finalise the documentation,” Ramaphosa said.

Government will continue to pursue the implantation of an energy mix comprising coal, nuclear, renewable, gas and hydro to ensure security of electricity supply and support economic growth.

“In pursuing a suitable energy mix, government is determined that our investment in generation capacity should be evidence-based, sustainable and affordable.

“As indicated by the Department of Energy in December 2015, any decision to proceed further with a nuclear build programme will only take place after the Request for Proposals process has been completed and a final funding model has been developed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Invest SA, a one-stop-shop that was introduced to eliminate the bottlenecks or red tape that hinders foreign investment in the country, has already facilitated major investments.

“Invest SA played an important role in facilitating the investment by Beijing Automotive International Corporation of R11 billion in a facility in Coega that will produce 50 000 cars a year.

“This will create about 9 000 jobs in the construction phase, and will ultimately employ around 4 000 people. Fast-tracking of this project was done through this unit.

“Invest South Africa will give great assistance to the investor community,” Ramaphosa said.

The Department of Trade and Industry had been tasked with the process of setting up Invest SA to ensure that the country manages and addresses the difficulties that many people in business had raised on an ongoing basis and that they had encountered in the regulatory environment.

“In setting it up, it is meant to fast-track investments in South Africa and assist those who want to invest in our country, to ensure that all the difficulties and challenges they may have experienced, are addressed very quickly.

“This was set up with the full participation of the private sector. It combines services provided by SARS and the departments of Home Affairs, Environmental Affairs, Water Affairs and others,” he said.

– SAnews.gov.za