Uganda through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development is hosting over 300 stakeholders from the international nuclear community at the conference to be held at Speke Resort Munyonyo from March 14-17, 2023. Energy Minister Hon Ruth Nankabirwa told press this morning that the meeting will discuss nuclear energy developments in Africa and explore areas of strategic collaborations to move Uganda and African countries’ nuclear industry forward. The delegates, she said, will include minister and senior officials from various countries running nuclear programmes, industry players and nuclear technology vendors.
“The Conference presents an excellent opportunity to Uganda, particularly, and the African continent in general, to find suitable approaches to challenges in the nuclear industry,” Nankabirwa said.Seven sub-Saharan African countries, including Uganda, have committed to having nuclear energy as part of their energy mix between 2030 to 2037. The other countries are Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya and Zambia. All these countries have developed national positions on having nuclear energy and have engaged with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to assist in their nuclear power programs. Ongoing activities in the countries include site selections, drafting nuclear laws and regulations, establishing dedicated nuclear.
“According to studies conducted in the energy sector, electricity generation from hydro, biomass, geothermal and peat potential, if fully developed, cannot meet Uganda’s Vision 2040 targets. Therefore, Uganda is making firm steps to integrate nuclear energy into the electricity generation mix to ensure energy security and provide sufficient electricity for industrialization,” she said. “In addition, the government has identified nuclear as part of Uganda’s energy transition plan. It continues to invest in developing the requisite infrastructure, including human capital development in specialized areas to support the early development of nuclear power.”
In 2021, Uganda hosted the IAEA Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review Mission (INIR Phase1) to evaluate the status of nuclear infrastructure development. The experts made recommendations and suggestions to the Uganda Nuclear Power Programme and identified good practices in national position, stakeholder involvement and local industrial involvement. So far, the minister says, preparation to evaluate the Buyende Nuclear Power Plant site is ongoing to pave the way for the first nuclear power project
