EFF Deputy Leader Floyd Shivambu.
- The EFF proposes an agreement with the Russian state energy company, Rosatom, to solve the energy crisis.
- Floyd Shivambu prefers Karpowership and other Chinese and Russian floating storage regasification units to provide energy relief.
- The energy crisis featured prominently on the second day of the SONA debate.
Among the EFF’s proposals to address South Africa’s energy crisis is an agreement with Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company, Rosatom.
The energy crisis featured prominently on Wednesday, the second day of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) debate at Cape Town City Hall.
ANC MPs praised Ramaphosa’s plan and complained that opposition parties were “politicking”, but opposition parties blamed the ANC for the crisis and criticized the government’s response.
EFF chief Floyd Shivambu presented a series of measures that he said should be introduced to end load shedding and gain energy security.
“We need to approve the proposal of Rosatom, the Rosatom power station and nuclear energy company, which currently provides more than 20% of the electricity in the Russian Federation.
“It employs over 250,000 people. It’s been here in South Africa, saying ‘why don’t they give us a power purchase agreement like the big one, like your friends in the west, and build up to 6,000 megawatts of nuclear power?’ , which everyone else allows and agrees is part of the clean energy sources,'” Shivambu said.
READ | Russia’s Rosatom remains ‘interested seller’ as SA revives nuclear build
“That’s one of the things that needs to be done right away. [future].”
Shivambu also favors the Turkish company, Karpowership, to provide energy relief.
He said South Africa has approved the Karpowership to “connect 1,200 megawatts” to the grid.
“But because of those who are looking for bribes, those who are trying to extort the people who made that offer, the Karpowerships cannot be connected to the grid, to make the energy crisis we have now better,” Shivambu said, while Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe stroked his goatee.
“The reality is, right away, you have no other solution than to connect the FSRUs [Floating Storage Regasification Units] Turkey, China and the Russian Federation.
Shivambu said:
we know that you [the ANC] they will be out of power. We are going to take power as the EFF. We don’t want to seize power under darkness.
During his speech, Shivambu referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year as “necessary military operations in Ukraine.”
The EFF also advocated for South Africa to procure and distribute the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine from Russia during the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2018, courts ended the Zuma administration’s proposed nuclear deal with Russia, which could have crippled South Africa financially.
CLOCK | Mantashe bats for Karpowership (again): ‘We don’t have the luxury of choice’
Rosatom was seen as a top candidate to close the 9,600 megawatt deal.
Similarly, the Karpowership deal, part of a 2,000 MW Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Acquisition Program (RMI4P), has been delayed by litigation amid allegations of bid rigging.
Ramaphosa will respond to the debate on Thursday afternoon.
