SOUTH Africa has not signed any nuclear deal, Eskom recently said. Responding to last week’s media reports alleging that a nuclear deal has been signed, Eskom reiterated the remarks made by National Treasury that no deal has been signed.

“Eskom expects to issue a full Request for Proposal (RFP) to the open market once the Request for Information (RFI) has been assessed and the relevant approvals have been obtained,” said Eskom Chief Nuclear Officer, Dave Nicholls.

Nicholls said the power utility has not received any formal proposals from potential suppliers and has not signed any power plant procurement agreements.

“Eskom has not undertaken any pre-qualification assessment to date related to the potential respondents to a potential RFP,” he said.

South Africa plans to introduce 9 600 megawatts of nuclear energy to the grid in the next decade.

“The funding model of the project will be determined by the response received from the markets once bidders have responded to the RFP. This will also be done at a pace and scale that government can afford,” said the department.