AlQa'dah 27, 1435, September 22, 2014, SPA -- South Africa signed a deal with Russia Monday for the construction of nuclear power plants featuring eight Russian reactors with a total capacity of up to 9.6 gigawatts by 2030, dpa reported. South African Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson and Sergei Kirienko, director of the Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, signed the agreement on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in Vienna, both partners said in a statement. The nuclear plants will be the first based on Russian technology in Africa. The deal will create thousands of jobs and generate at least 10 billion dollars in local procurement, Kirienko said. "South Africa today, as never before, is interested in the massive development of nuclear power, which is an important driver for the national economy growth," Joemat-Pettersson said. South Africa currently has one nuclear power plant.
