South Africa would enlist China's help in the development of its
ambitious nuclear power programme, President Thabo Mbeki said on Tuesday.
Eskom, South Africa's state-owned power utility, is developing 110
megawatt pebble bed modular nuclear reactors in partnership with British
Nuclear Fuels and Exelon, the US electricity utility. Export potential for
the "mini" reactors is estimated at more than R18bn a year.
China has joined the United Kingdom and north African countries in
expressing an interest in buying the pebble bed reactors. Construction of
the first reactor, at a cost of $120m, is expected to begin in South
Africa next year.
"They are researching in the same areas in which South Africa is
researching, which is pebble bed nuclear power stations. There is
cooperation already in this area," Mr Mbeki said on Tuesday during a
four-day state visit to China.
A co-operation agreement on peaceful uses for nuclear energy between
the two countries could be signed as early as February.
South Africa restored full diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1998.
The former apartheid regime had maintained strong ties with Taiwan.
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