The DA has slammed Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson for "crudely" favouring Russia in the imminent R1-trillion nuclear deal while pretending to run a competitive process. Russia, the US, China, France and South Korea are all said to be in the running for the lucrative contracts, which Joemat-Pettersson and her officials have repeatedly promised would be awarded in a transparent and above-board process.But DA MP Gordon Mackay says two ministerial memorandums of understanding between Joemat-Pettersson and her Russian counterpart last week suggested impropriety."The DA has written to minister Joemat-Pettersson to request full details of the two MOUs signed with the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation (Rosatom) at the Brics summit in Afa," Mackay said."The DA believes that signing MOUs of this nature while a competitive bid process is under way smacks of gross impropriety ... and can be seen as nothing more than a crude attempt by the Zuma administration to bolster Rosatom's bid over potential rivals."He said Russia produced water-water energetic reactors, whereas South Africa used pressurised water reactors."An expedited training programme on the use of Russian technology, which does not exist in South Africa, can only mean that the government anticipates that Russian technology will at some future date be used in South Africa," Mackay said."That these MOUs reportedly speak of cooperation in order to provide training for five categories of specialists for the South African nuclear industry is the clearest indication yet that Rosatom is the preferred bidder."The MOUs signed by the minister therefore presuppose the eventuality of the use of Russian technology in South Africa and raise serious doubts about the government's commitment to a competitive and transparent bid process," according to Mackay, who pointed out that claims of undue preference and bias were further substantiated by a review of the various international framework agreements signed between South Africa and nuclear vendor nations."The agreement signed between Rosatom and South Africa differs materially from the other stock standard framework agreements in detail and scope and relies on information that could only have been provided by the South African government," Mackay said."Neither the minister nor the Department of Energy have provided an explanation as to the material and contractual differences enumerated in the Rosatom Framework Agreement. The DA will get to the bottom of this."..