South Africa is open to nuclear energy bids from Russia and Iran as part of its plan to expand civilian nuclear power capacity, a senior government minister has confirmed.
The move, which could strain relations with the United States, comes as South Africa seeks to bolster its electricity supply and cut carbon emissions.
The country, home to Africa’s only nuclear power plant, Koeberg, intends to add 2,500 megawatts of new capacity.
Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe dismissed the idea of excluding specific nations from the bidding process.
“We can’t have a contract that says Iran or Russia must not bid; we can’t have that condition,” explained Mantashe, one of the government’s leading proponents of expanding nuclear capacity. “If they are the best in terms of the offer on the table, we’ll take any [country].”
His remarks follow an executive order issued this month by US President Donald Trump, which, among other claims, accused South Africa—without providing evidence—of strengthening ties with Iran for commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.
South Africa has refuted these allegations, stating that it has no bilateral nuclear cooperation with Iran.
The US has been closely monitoring South Africa’s energy policies, particularly as the two countries work to renew a long-standing nuclear cooperation agreement.
The previous deal, known as a Section 123 Agreement, expired in December 2022.
Negotiations for a new agreement have been finalised at a technical level, but legal procedures remain incomplete.
A senior official in South Africa’s energy ministry, Zizamele Mbambo, insisted that both nations remain committed to finalising the deal.
However, nuclear energy researcher Isabel Bosman from the South African Institute of International Affairs warned that Trump’s executive order could complicate the renewal process.
Failure to secure a new agreement could disrupt fuel supplies for Koeberg’s Unit 1 reactor, which is sourced from US-based Westinghouse. Unit 2, on the other hand, is supplied by France’s Framatome.
Analysts also suggest that the uncertainty could discourage US firms, including the Bill Gates-backed TerraPower and ASP Isotopes, from investing in South Africa’s nuclear sector at a time when global interest in atomic energy is surging.
South Africa had initially planned to issue a tender for its nuclear expansion last year, but legal challenges led by the then-opposition Democratic Alliance—now part of the coalition government—delayed the process.
With South Africa keen to move forward, the possibility of Russian and Iranian involvement adds another layer of geopolitical complexity.
The US State Department has not commented on whether such partnerships would affect future agreements between the US and South Africa.
