Government officials in Zimbabwe have disclosed that the country is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) and Russian investors to establish nuclear energy. They revealed the update on Thursday noting that it’s in efforts to end the country’s power shortages.
Following Zimbabwe’s power shortages, government officials on Thursday revealed that Harare is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Russian investors to establish nuclear energy in the country.
According to the Minister of Energy and Power Development Edgar Moyo, Zimbabwe has expressed interest in nuclear power to the IAEA hoping to develop small, modular reactors.
The Director of research at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, Joseph Siegle noted that establishing nuclear power plant is expensive and complex which is why South Africa and Egypt have sought Russia’s assistance.
He added that Zimbabwe’s power needs do not warrant a traditional large-scale nuclear reactor and suggested that the government study the lasting impact of waste disposal as he urged for transparency since the public would be responsible for paying off these costs.
Zimbabwe says its goal is to have 4,000 megawatts of power capacity by 2035 and end years of power cuts that can sometimes last up to 18 hours per day.
In line with this, Gloria Magombo, Secretary for Energy and Power Development, highlighted that Harare seeks to increase the use of other renewable energies besides hydropower, given the nation’s recurring droughts.
