Pretoria - Eskom has received a positive response to the Request for Information (RFI) it issued in relation to the proposed South African nuclear new build programme.
In a statement on Wednesday, the power utility said 27 companies stated their intention to provide a response to the RFI. The companies include major nuclear vendors from China (SNPTC), France (EdF), Russia (Rusatom Overseas) and South Korea (KEPCO).
“Eskom is looking forward to the information supplied to confirm our understanding of the key issues that impact the timing and affordability of a nuclear programme,” said Eskom’s Interim Group Chief Executive, Matshela Koko.
The power utility said while the intention to submit a response to Eskom’s RFI does not commit a company to submit a response to a potential future Request for Proposal (RFP), the quantum of the response to Eskom’s RFI shows the level of competitive interest in South Africa’s nuclear new build programme.
The RFI was issued on Eskom’s website on 20 December 2016 and asked companies that felt they could provide relevant information to confirm by 10:30am on Tuesday, 31 January 2017 that they would be submitting a response to Eskom (for both Eskom and NECSA use) by 10am on 28 April 2017.
South Africa plans to introduce 9 600 Megawatts of nuclear energy to the grid in the next decade. – SAnews.gov.za
