ELA Press Release: WorleyParsons - more evidence of Rosatom nuclear scandal

29 June 2016

Media release

WORLEYPARSONS - MORE EVIDENCE OF ROSATOM NUCLEAR SCANDAL

EARTHLIFE AFRICA JOHANNESBURG TO PROTEST

Earthlife Africa Johannesburg will picket outside the WorleyParsons South African head office tomorrow, on the 30th of June 2016. The offices are located at the corner of Dallas and Aramist Avenues in Menlyn, Pretoria. The picket will take place from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

WorleyParsons has a close working relationship with Russian nuclear vendor Rosatom. Rosatom is in the running to build the scandalous South African new 9600 MW nuclear fleet- estimated to cost the South African tax payer over R 1 trillion.

Earthlife Africa Johannesburg condemns the Department of Energy for appointing a company tainted in the world’s biggest oil and gas industry corruption scandal, Unaoil bribes-for-contracts. WorleyParsons, an engineering consulting company, has also attempted to procure a project in the Coega Refinery through shipping tycoon Tony Georgiades, also implicated in the Arms Deal disgrace.

Yesterday’s business Day points to the close association of Rosatom with WorleyParsons in no fewer than six country’s nuclear deals.  “the department of Energy cannot begin to claim transparency and fair dealings while at the same time appointing a company so closely associated with one of the bidders” said SAFCEI spokesperson, Liz McDaid, “this unethical behaviour appears to further substantiate our claims that the Russia deal is done and dusted, and the South African people are expected to just suck it up”

Sysman Motloung, Energy Policy Officer at Earthlife Africa Johannesburg, states, “WorleyParsons’ involvement in the build nuclear procurement is essentially a precursor to a humiliation similar to SADTU’s jobs-for-cash corruption scandal. Evidence from around the world shows that where WorleyParsons is Rosatom is also.”

The relationship between the Department of Energy and WorlyParsons lends further weight to the claims that Earthlife Africa/SAFCEI make in their court case which is attempting to hold the Department of Energy responsible for its alleged unlawful and biased nuclear dealings.

Earthlife Africa Johannesburg demands that the Department of Energy:

• rescind its decision to contract WorleyParsons because it is a conflicted party by its relationship with Rosatom, and
• make public the scope of WorleyParsons’ appointment and at what cost to the South African taxpayer.

References:

http://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2016/the-bribe-factory/players/players.html

http://www.smh.com.au/national/unaoil-scandal-draws-in-worleyparsons-peter-gregg-20160330-gnuqas.html

http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/energy/2016/06/28/russian-linked-consultancy-among-advisers-on-nuclear-build

http://www.theage.com.au/interactive/2016/the-bribe-factory/day-3/africa.html

Ends.

ISSUED BY EARTHLIFE AFRICA JOHANNESBURG and the SOUTHERN AFRICAN FAITH ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTION (SAFCEI) 29 June 2016

For further information, please contact:

At Earthlife Africa Johannesburg:

Sysman Motloung

Energy policy officer

Email: Sysman@earthlife.org.za

Cell: 073781708

At SAFCEI

Liz McDaid (SAFCEI)

Email: liziwe@mweb.co.za

Cell: 0827315643

Note for journalists:

On the 12th of October 2015, Earthlife Africa Jhb (ELA Jhb) and the Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (SAFCEI) launched legal proceedings in the Cape Town High Court on South Africa's planned procurement of 9600MW. Our founding legal papers have been served on the following respondents: The Minister of Energy, the President of South Africa, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), the Speaker of National Assembly and the Speaker of the National Council of Provinces.

Our founding affidavit can be downloaded at: http://earthlife.org.za/2015/10/in-the-high-court-of-south-africa-western-cape-division-cape-town-3/ and on http://safcei.org/latest-update-on-our-nuclear-court-action/ .

Our legal case revolves around government's decision to proceed with procuring nuclear power plants (a nuclear fleet of between 6 to 8 new nuclear reactors), and any intention to conclude such procurement in the next few months, is occurring without any of the necessary statutory and constitutional decisions. In brief, ELA-Jhb and SAFCEI are challenging the legality and constitutionality of:

• the Inter-Governmental Agreement on strategic partnership and nuclear cooperation signed with Russia last year (Russian IGA);
• the tabling of the Russian IGA in Parliament under a provision that makes the agreement binding on the international plane without the need for parliamentary ratification;
• the tabling of outdated IGAs on nuclear co-operation entered into with the USA and Republic of Korea;
• the failure by the Minister in terms of s34 of the Electricity Regulation Act 2006, in consultation with NERSA and in accordance with a procedurally fair public participation process, to make a determination that new electricity generation capacity is required from nuclear power, and the percentage that is required;
• the failure by the Minister in terms of s34 of the Electricity Regulation Act 2006 (ERA), read with s217 of the Constitution, in consultation with NERSA and in accordance with a procedurally fair public participation process, to require that the procurement of such nuclear new generation capacity must take place in terms of a specified procurement system;
• various decisions by the Minister and/or government to facilitate, organise, commence and/or proceed with the procurement of nuclear new generation capacity prior to making the necessary s34 nuclear determination and nuclear procurement system decision.

The court action has already received considerable media attention in South Africa and will continue to do so. Large scale demonstration in Johannesburg/Pretoria have been matched by weekly anti-nuclear demonstrations in Cape Town.

SAFCEI                                                       Earthlife Africa Johannesburg

www.safcei.org                                      www.earthlife.org.za

Lawyers representing ELA-JHB and SAFCEI are Adrian Pole and Associates, advised by the Legal Resource Centre.