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Russia to team up with South Africa on sales of uranium
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MAJOR URANIUM producers in South Africa and Russia are planning to establish international nuclear centres to facilitate the sale of uranium to global markets, Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica has said. Russia has been courting SA and other countries to co-operate in finding new technologies to process uranium, Sonjica said.
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The government planned to declare uranium as a strategic mineral and would start stockpiling the soughtafter nuclear fuel in part to ensure it could power SA's ambitious nuclear expansion programme. The government wanted uranium processing to take place in SA as we want to have some control over it.
SA is currently the only country in Africa with a nuclear power plant. Borrowing from the French example, South Africa would look at recycling and reprocessing spent uranium fuel. "We think it will help us in terms of ensuring that we have the source for generating nuclear power."
SA has embarked on a massive nuclear energy expansion programme, with 24-30 new nuclear plants being mooted. The entire project is expected to cost R900bn.
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