Government wants sustainable fuel supply for reactors, says minister
Uganda is reviewing its potential to produce uranium to support its plans for its first nuclear power plants as it moves to diversify its sources of electricity and accelerate its energy transition, a key part of its climate change response.
Phiona Nyamutoro, the central African nation’s minister of state for energy and mineral development, said Uganda’s plans to develop nuclear power plants will require nuclear fuel.
“To this effect, uranium exploration is ongoing in the country with the aim of discovering uranium deposits for sustainable nuclear fuel supply,” she said on social media.
She said the government also plans to establish a centre for nuclear science and technology for nuclear education, training, and research. She said the centre will need uranium for the production of radioisotopes for industrial and medical applications.
The Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency said Uganda does not report data on uranium but might do so in future because the International Atomic Energy Agency has continued to support Uganda’s efforts to identify and evaluate uranium resources.
Uganda has uranium deposits and president Yoweri Museveni has said his government was keen to exploit them for potential nuclear energy development.
China, Russia And South Korea In Running
According to Reuters, Uganda has signed a deal with China under which China National Nuclear Corporation would help Uganda build capacity in the use of nuclear energy.
Press reports last year quoted Museveni as saying Uganda had chosen Russia and South Korea to build nuclear power plants.
He said negotiations with Russia and South Korea had concluded, but the unconfirmed reports gave no further details.
In 2023, Uganda said the first nuclear project would be at Buyende, about 150 km north of the capital Kampala with the first reactor to be connected to the national grid by 2031.
The Uganda Media Centre, the government’s official news outlet, has said Uganda is taking “firm steps” to integrate nuclear energy into the electricity generation mix to ensure energy security and provide sufficient electricity for industrialisation.
It said six other sub-Saharan African countries have committed to having nuclear as part of their energy mix between 2030 and 2037. They are Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya and Zambia.
The only commercial power station in Africa is the two-unit Koeberg near Cape Town, South Africa. Russia is helping Egypt build a four-unit station at El-Dabaa.
Electricity demand in Uganda, a country of 43 million people, has increased significantly in recent years in line with its growing economy.
