Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has granted approval to Russia and South Korea for the construction of two nuclear power facilities with a combined capacity of 15,600 megawatts of electricity.
The President stated that the first unit is projected to produce 7,000 MW, while the second unit is anticipated to generate 8,400 MW. However, details regarding the schedule and financing for these projects are yet to be determined.
“We have agreed with Russia and South Korea to build two uranium power stations for electricity,” President Museveni said at a coffee summit held last week in Kampala.
This is not the first time government officials have talked about the construction of a nuclear station in Uganda. In 2016, Russian-owned Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation officials visited Uganda and signed a deal with state authorities on the development of the nuclear station, but the project didn’t take off.
At the moment, the landlocked nation is struggling to find money to fund the development of hydro dams that are cheaper than nuclear power stations.
Uganda presently possesses a power generation capacity of 1402 MW, with only 800 MW being utilized, rendering the surplus untapped. The government intends to leverage this excess power for export.
President Museveni highlighted the existence of uranium deposits in Uganda, a vital mineral for nuclear power production. He shared that numerous investors have expressed interest in mining these deposits for export, but he declined these offers. Additionally, he emphasized his decision to prohibit the export of raw materials, as processing them abroad would lead to financial loss and job reduction within the country.
