Russian companies are welcome to tender for building a second nuclear power plant in South Africa, Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in Pretoria on Thursday.
Dlamini-Zuma and the Russian Minister of Natural Resources, Yuri Trutnev, concluded the sixth session of the South Africa-Russia Joint Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation on Thursday.
Although no agreement was signed on nuclear energy, businesses from both countries had agreed to work on it, she said, adding that there would be no ”head-picking” when the tender for the second nuclear power plant was awarded.
Trutnev said Russia would invest ”however much capital was needed” for a nuclear power station, but that the final decision of building it lay with South Africa.
”If the decision on Russian participation is positive, then we will cope with it,” Trutnev said.
The ministers signed a cooperation agreement on minerals and energy, forestry, natural resources and in science and technology. Both countries would also work together on social issues, such as education and health, by the exchanging of personnel and training.
Improving trade and economic cooperation would lead to a better life for the people of both countries, Dlamini-Zuma said.
Trutnev said the preparation for the visit of Russia’s prime minister later in the year was a demonstration of the interest that both countries had in cooperation.
”It is evident that the next step in our work should be the filling up of legislation frameworks that have been created by real projects,” Trutnev said.
Dlamini-Zuma said the government had ”created the environment”, but it was up to businesses to identify opportunities in both countries.
Several South African companies have already invested in Russia, including Anglo American and the Sun International group.
”We are also looking at the exchange of information from Russia so that more companies can come in into South Africa according to the opportunities, and vice-versa,” Dlamini-Zuma said. — Sapa