Minister of Energy Tina Joemat-Pettersson has reiterated that there is no ‘nuclear deal’, stating that South Africa is pursuing a diversified energy mix which includes Independent Power Producers (IPP) and the Nuclear New Build Programme.

“We remain firmly committed to an above board, fair and transparent procurement process with due regard to the scale, pace and price of the programme,” said Joemat-Pettersson.

The minister pointed out that the Department of Energy (DoE) functions within the policy framework of government, and the programmes implemented by the department seek to respond to these.

“We further wish to reiterate that we implement programmes in compliance with the relevant guidelines and legislation, as demonstrated by our highly successfully Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme,” the DoE said in a statement.

Joemat-Pettersson announced that there will soon be announcements on the expedited round for renewable energy projects as well requests for proposals for the coal and gas IPP projects.

The requests for proposals for the Nuclear New Build Programme will also be released in compliance with the approved cabinet directive.