South Africa and China on Wednesday signed deals covering emissions technology, electricity transmission and distribution, and nuclear power on the sidelines of the Brics summit.
- The agreements are part of the South African government’s efforts to end record power cuts that are a major constraint on economic growth.
- Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said one of the deals would see Chinese companies share technology to help struggling state-owned power utility Eskom cut emissions from its coal-fired power plants.
- Other agreements would see Chinese firms help Eskom upgrade its power transmission and distribution infrastructure, and share expertise on nuclear power.
The summit of the Brics group of emerging economies — comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — runs from Tuesday to Thursday in Johannesburg. Brics members are seeking to use the summit to forge the grouping into a counterweight to Western dominance of global institutions.