Germany’s Ambassador to Uganda, Matthias Schauer, believes that Uganda’s idea of constructing a nuclear power plant is bad because of its potential threat to the population.

Uganda is pursuing the idea of erecting a nuclear power plant in Buyende district, eastern Uganda so as to meet the country energy needs. While the idea is still in proposal form, Uganda has engaged countries like Russia to see that it is actualized.

Schauer noted Uganda is envied by industrial nations including Germany for its industrial power and huge solar power potential. He revealed that Germany, on the other hand, is destroying its nuclear power plants because of the threat. 

He highlighted that the nuclear risk was experienced in Fukushima where a nuclear accident happened at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan which began on March 11, 2011. The accident was caused by an accident.

Schauer said: “German has decided to shut down its nuclear power plants because they simply remain a potential threat to the population as we have last seen in Fukushima. Nobody yet has found a solution for dealing with the highly toxic waste.”

The German argues that investing in a nuclear power plan is expensive and a wastage of funds. He said a nuclear power plant can cost between 15 to 20 billion US dollars.

And because of the environmental risks that the use of biomass and fossil fuel pose, Schauer has asked government to come up with a quick solution to fix the demand for energy. Such fixes can be solar power, he said.

The German envoy was speaking at the launch of the new Energy Policy for Uganda 2023. He said the policy is not only a national achievement, but also a strong move towards fulfilling Uganda’s regional and international commitments.

The State Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Okasaai Sidronius Opolot, said universal access to electricity for all Ugandans is one of the key principals for the Energy Policy for Uganda 2023.