PRETORIA, South Africa, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Russia has signed a uranium mining deal with South Africa, which could lead to future nuclear work there, including building a nuclear plant.
France is also offering a deal to build a plant in South Africa, the global energy information firm Platts reports.
Sergey Kirienko, head of Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom, said meetings with South African mining firm Harmony Gold this week resulted in a uranium and gold deal with Russia's Renova group.
Rosatom subsidiary Techsnabexport and Renova are working together on the deal, which could lead to a technology sharing agreement with South Africa as well.
Russia may also reach a deal to extend to 2020 a uranium enrichment supply contract with South African power company Eskom.
Francois Loos, France's industry minister, is said to have offered to build a new nuclear plant for Eskom.
Areva, from France, and Russian nuclear export firm Atomstroyexport, as well as Westinghouse are aiming for the nuclear plant South Africa wants to build by 2014.
