South Africa Will Expand Energy Network with New Investment Plan
09 Jan 2015
South Africa will implement a billion dollar program to increase electrical output in its nuclear plants and reduce coal dependency, Energy Ministry reported today.
The initiative, with a 9-billion-dollar budget, aims at reducing coal dependency by a 14 percent and increasing nuclear power generation by a 23 percent.
Nowadays, the country has two operational nuclear reactors in Western Cape, but they only represent around seven percent of the national power supply.
According to the ministerial report, national authorities and private sector experts have announced cooperation with several countries, especially Russia and Japan, in order to add 9600 megawatts to the network before 2030.
Right now, more than 80 percent of electrical power in South Africa is generated by coal fired power plants, while only a minimum amount of energy is provided by hydro-power.
Last November, national authorities started negotiations and analyzed proposals and logistic capacities of nuclear technology suppliers from China, France, South Korea and the United States.
Source: http://www.plenglish.com/