Reinforcing government’s pro-stance on nuclear energy, President Jacob Zuma has, in terms of Section 231 of the Constitution, granted Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson the authority to sign an agreement on Cooperation in the Development of Peaceful uses of Nuclear Energy between South Africa and France.

This followed the granting of the same permission by Zuma to Joemat-Pettersson, last month, to sign an agreement on the Strategic Partnership and Cooperation in the Fields of Nuclear Power and Industry between South Africa and the Russian Federation.

A storm of controversy was created in South Africa after the Department of Energy (DoE) issued a press release on the Russian bilateral nuclear agreement, which implied that Russian State-owned nuclear group Rosatom would build the country’s planned new fleet of nuclear power stations, despite a bidding process not taking place.

Engineering News Online reported that the DoE subsequently affirmed that no such contract had been awarded, but that similar agreements would be signed with other countries interested in selling nuclear power plants to South Africa and that a bidding process would take place.