S. African gov't committed to developing nuclear energy: president

South Africa is committed to the development of nuclear energy as part of the future energy mix, President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday.

However, South Africa "will only procure nuclear on a scale and pace that our country can afford," Zuma said in his State of Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament.

The plan is to introduce 9,600 megawatts of nuclear energy in the next decade, in addition to running Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant near Cape Town, said Zuma.

"We will test the market to ascertain the true cost of building modern nuclear plants," he said.

Zuma said energy shortage has been one of the contraints that impede economic growth in the country.

Progress has been made to stabilise the electricity supply, Zuma said.

There has been no load shedding since August last year which has brought relief for both households and industry alike, he said.

The government has invested 83 billion rand in Eskom, the country's major power utility, enabling parastatal (about 5.2 billion U.S. dollars) to continue investing in Medupi and Kusile power stations, while continuing with a diligent maintenance programme, according to Zuma.

Additional units from Ingula power station will be connected in 2017, even though some of them will begin synchronisation this year, he said.

The multiple bid windows of the Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme have attracted an investment of 194 billion rand (about 12 billion dollars), Zuma said.

This initiative is a concrete example of how the government can partner with the private sector to provide practical solutions to an immediate challenge that faces the country, he said.

In 2016, the government will select the preferred bidders for the coal independent power producer, said Zuma.

Request for proposals will also be issued for the first windows of gas to power bids, he said. Endit