The African country signalled a drive to secure a reliable electricity supply and accelerate industrialisation as it targets high\u2011income status by 2050.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The project, expected to cost up to $6\u202fbillion, is currently undergoing a comprehensive review by the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose team visited the country from March 2 to 9 to assess preparedness and infrastructure readiness.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Speaking to Channel Africa on Friday, Energy Analyst Tshepo Kgadima said Rwanda\u2019s choice reflects its determination to avoid the energy insecurity that has hindered growth in many African nations. \u201cThey want to make a giant leap into energy\u2011intensive industries that require power on demand,\u201d he said. \u201cHydropower is abundant but vulnerable to climate shocks. Nuclear gives constant, reliable and low\u2011cost energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kgadima argued that nuclear power remains one of the cheapest and most dependable sources of electricity, citing France, where more than 70% of electricity comes from nuclear plants, and South Africa\u2019s Koeberg station, which consistently produces the lowest\u2011cost power in the Eskom fleet. \u201cThe belief that nuclear is expensive is a misconception,\u201d he said. \u201cIts long\u2011term cost competitiveness is proven.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The investment is substantial for a small, landlocked country. Kgadima expects Rwanda to rely on vendor\u2011financing arrangements, particularly with technology suppliers such as Russia. \u201cSMR vendors are eager for countries to adopt their designs. They are willing to provide financing because they want to demonstrate confidence in their technology,\u201d he said. Long\u2011term power\u2011purchase agreements with energy\u2011intensive industries could also support revenue generation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SMRs offer unique advantages over traditional large\u2011scale plants. They can be deployed closer to demand centres, reducing the need for extensive transmission infrastructure. Unlike conventional reactors, which require large bodies of water for cooling, SMRs can use alternative cooling systems such as gas, making them suitable for landlocked or water\u2011scarce countries. They can also be installed in stages as demand grows.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Kgadima estimates that the investment could deliver up to 3\u202f000 megawatts of generation capacity, a transformative jump for Rwanda\u2019s energy sector. \u201cIt would open the door to data centres, cryptocurrency mining and other energy\u2011intensive industries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He added that the IAEA\u2019s involvement is essential. \u201cNuclear is the most regulated energy technology in the world. The IAEA’s guidance shows Rwanda is taking a prudent and responsible approach.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28725,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[78,44],"class_list":["post-28724","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-finance","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Rwanda\u2019s ambition to deploy small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) by 2030 marks one of the most significant energy decisions in its recent history. ","published_date":"","news_description":"Rwanda\u2019s ambition to deploy small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) by 2030 marks one of the most significant energy decisions in its recent history. ","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/28724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/28724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28726,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/28724\/revisions\/28726"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=28724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}