Uganda on Thursday said it hopes to start generating at least 1,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2031 while diversifying its power sources and accelerating the energy transition, a key part of its response to climate change.
Uganda has uranium deposits and President Yoweri Museveni said his government wants to use them to develop nuclear energy potential.
The East African country signed an agreement with China under which the National Nuclear Corporation of China (CNNC) will help Uganda increase its capacity to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Energy and Minerals Minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu said in a statement that the first nuclear project, Buyende Nuclear Power Plant, is to be built in Buyende, some 150 kilometers north of the capital Kampala.
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“Preparations for the site assessment of the Buyende nuclear power plant are underway to pave the way for the first nuclear power project, which is expected to generate 2,000 megawatts, with the first 1,000 megawatts to be connected to the national grid by 2031,” he said.
“Uganda is taking decisive steps to integrate nuclear power into the power generation mix to ensure energy security and provide sufficient power for industrialization.”
In Africa, only South Africa currently has an operational nuclear power plant, while Russian energy company Rosatom began building Egypt’s first nuclear power plant last year.
Uganda has around 1,500 megawatts of generating capacity, but officials say they expect the country’s energy needs to increase in the coming years as revenues from oil exports fuel an economic boom.
