Русский
Zimbabwe is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency and Russian investors to establish nuclear energy as part of its efforts to end the country’s chronic power shortages, government officials have stated.
Edgar Moyo, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Energy and Power Development, has said that the government was working to establish nuclear power station as part of efforts to end power shortages, and has expressed its intent to develop nuclear power to the IAEA. Moyo said the country hopes to erect small, modular reactors. He stated that the IAEA “Have indicated their willingness to take us through paces until we get there.”
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. Zimbabwe’s current capacity for power generation is about 2,600 megawatts, according to the government. The actual daily generation is roughly half of that.
Russia’s Rosatom and Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Energy have already signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in atomic energy use, with Moyo saying that “We intend to create nuclear generation facilities in our country, primarily in the form of small modular nuclear reactors. We are working closely with specialized companies in Russia. We have clearly indicated our interest in developing our own nuclear generation, and they have indicated their readiness to assist us.”
Rosatom reportedly holds about 70% of the global export market for new nuclear power plants. Zimbabwe, in addition to Morocco, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mali, South Africa and other nations across the African continent have signed deals with Russian investors to develop nuclear energy programs.
Russia’s growing interest in Africa’s nuclear sector reflects its ambitious move to expand geopolitical influence, while positioning itself as a key partner in addressing the continent’s energy challenges. Rosatom has undertaken several projects and is in talks with various African nations to develop nuclear energy programs aiming to help them tackle chronic power shortages, which hinder industrialization and economic growth.
Further Reading
