The leaders of five rapidly developing economies – Brazil, Russia, India, China and RSA discussed international economic situation and the situation in the Middle East in Durban, South Africa. Meanwhile the Rosatom delegation at once pronounced its intention to use the Summit for promotion of its technologies in RSA and other parts of Africa. Some important agreements have been achieved.

Strategic Partner
There are some rich uranium deposits in Africa, however atomic energy at the continent is being used very little. In March 2011 in RSA a new long-term project of national energy development was approved. The project suggests raising the balance of atomic energy in the country up to 25%. The strategy includes building three new NPPs with 6 units with the total capacity of 9.6 GW by 2030.

Rosatom is going to take part in the South African tender and offers to settle 40% of the production in the country. The RF President Vladimir Putin and his colleague, Jacob Zuma, in the course of the BRICS countries summit signed several documents, including a strategic partnership declaration and cooperation agreement in the power sphere.

Comprehensive Aid
According to Russian President, there is a strong potential in the two countries relations in the power sphere. He called atomic power the most promising sphere of the RF and RSA cooperation and noted that Russia was ready to provide technical and financial help in the realization of NP constructions program in the RSA. “Russia offers help not just in the construction of separate nuclear power units but in the development of an advanced nuclear industry in South Africa: from mining the feedstock, construction of nuclear power plants and research reactors through design and domestic production of nuclear power equipment,” – said the RF President after negotiations with the RSA delegation.

The head of the state also noted that this kind of aid can be offered with the “credit support from the Russian side and personnel training for RSA”. Besides, Putin said, the Russian Academy of Science and South-African scientific centers are aimed for “the closest cooperation”. “Russian scientists are ready to join the creation of cyclotron for radiochemical research and proton therapy”, – said the President.

Friendly Molybdenum
Another promising direction of “atomic cooperation” between Russia and RSA is nuclear medicine. Rosatom is going to develop the cooperation with RSA at the market of radioactive isotopes for medicine, said the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko to the journalists. “The program, according to which we together with the government of the Republic choose priority projects for possible investments, is agreed. One of those projects is cooperation at the market of radioactive isotopes meant for medicine, molybdenum-99 first of all”, – said Kiriyenko.

He also noted that RSA today is one of the major suppliers of this isotope to the world market. “We in Russia implemented the program of molybdenum-99 production, today we are beginning to enter the world’s market and conduct preparatory negotiations on the possible joint work”, – said Kiriyenko, adding that he was speaking about joint marketing, sales, and, possibly, joint production and scientific research.