Page 8 - AfrElec Week 42 2022
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AfrElec NUCLEAR AfrElec
Uganda seeks investors
to build East Africa’s
first nuclear reactor
UGANDA UGANDA is looking for partners to develop including solar. Batebe said the country is seek-
East Africa’s first nuclear power plant as it strives ing universal access in the next eight years, at a
to achieve universal access to electricity and projected cost of about $4bn.
diversify the country’s energy mix, which relies She noted that Uganda has vast uranium
heavily on hydropower, Bloomberg reports. deposits (in Nakasongola, Kiruhura, Lamwo,
The government is working with China, Rus- Sembabule and Kassanda) and holds enormous
sia and the US as it seeks investors in a 2,000MW potential for nuclear energy. A team of experts
plant that could cost up to $9bn to build and be from the International Atomic Energy Agency
operational by 2031, Energy Ministry Perma- (IAEA) visited Uganda in May as part of the ini-
nent Secretary Irene Batebe is quoted as saying. tial preparatory work.
Currently, about 57% of Uganda has access to
electricity, with 19% connecting to the national
grid and the remainder using local resources
P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 42 20•October•2022
