Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Africa’s Lesedi Nuclear Services to develop its nuclear energy capacity.

Ruth Nankabirwa, the Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, presided over the MoU signing ceremony. She reaffirmed the government’s unwavering dedication to realizing its energy generation dream.

“Nobody can deter us from achieving our vision of harnessing nuclear energy to bridge the energy poverty gap,” the minister said. She noted that nuclear energy will play a vital role in Uganda’s future energy landscape.

Nankabirwa highlighted that Uganda’s goal is to develop at least 24,000 megawatts of nuclear energy in phases over time.

 She emphasized the need for more specialists in this field and expressed confidence in Uganda’s ability to develop nuclear energy, aligning with the government’s plan to generate 52,000 megawatts by 2040.

Francis Carruthers, the Chief Executive Officer of Lesedi Nuclear Services, said the key areas of cooperation as outlined in the MOU are skills and knowledge transfer to Ugandan nuclear officials.

“In this collaboration, we aim to empower Ugandan nuclear officials with the expertise required to excel in the nuclear energy sector,” Carruthers said.

Government officials have announced plans to send Ugandan scientists to South Africa annually as part of their strategy to build nuclear energy expertise.

Uganda only has 22 nuclear scientists but government statistics indicate a need for 1,004 nuclear energy specialists to support the national nuclear energy initiative.

Uganda has identified five potential districts for hosting nuclear power plants, including Mubende, Kiruhura, Lamwo, Buyende, and Nakasongola.

These districts are strategically located near various basins and lakes, where uranium prospects have been identified.