WNA to highlight southern Africa’s nuclear prospects at IAE2024

Director General of the World Nuclear Association (WNA) Dr Sama Bilbao y León will be speaking at the Invest in African Energy (IAE2024) forum taking place in Paris, on May 14-15.

She is expected to unpack the unprecedented opportunities in southern Africa’s energy sector.

The event offers delegates two days of intensive engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers.

The WNA is an international organization that promotes nuclear power with the goal of tripling nuclear capacity by 2050 to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

READ MORE: South Africa kickstarts process to procure nuclear energy.

On the African continent, South Africa is currently the only country with an operational nuclear power plant – the 1,860 MW Koeberg Nuclear Power Station – which accounts for approximately 5% of power generation. Last December, the country’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy announced plans to procure 2,500 MW of additional nuclear capacity and is in the process of seeking bids to commission new projects.

Following the discovery of large uranium deposits in eastern Uganda, the East African nation is forming a joint venture with South Korea and Russia to construct two nuclear power facilities totaling 15,000 MW.

Burkina Faso is partnering with Russia’s Rosatom to construct a nuclear power plant, while Ethiopia and Zimbabwe have also signed agreements with Russia to cooperate on nuclear technology and infrastructure development.

Rwanda is also developing a nuclear reactor pilot project in-country, expected to be operational by 2026.