The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Museveni insists that Uganda need nuclear power dams despite concerns that generating power from nuclear is quite expensive.
He said the government has completed pre-feasibility studies for a 2000-Meggwatt nuclear powers project He says Uganda must think of nuclear power because all the hydro power plants being constructed or soon to be constructed along river Nile will not be enough.
The Energy Ministry has in the past indicated that it plans to generate 30,000 megawatts of electricity from the country’s uranium by 2026.
Museveni told Parliament that in a meantime, 17000, Megawatts of power will be produced.
He said a number of Ugandan experts are being trained in nuclear science as part of the effort to have the required expertise to implement the projects once they take off.
Vision 2040 identifies inadequate supply of modern energy services as a key bottleneck for sustainable development. The Nuclear power ambitions are hinged on the country’s huge deposits of uranium which Museveni once agains vowed that he will not allow any investor process it into fuel nuclear power plants.
Museveni revealed that use of various applications of atomic energy continues to rise in Uganda like in the area of treatment of cancer.
He said a national register of radiation sources and facilities had been developed as part of the efforts to tap nuclear. He said there are over 800 radiation sources in 419 facilitates using nucler in thier operations has been registered.
The government in June 2017 signed a memorandum of understanding with a Russian firm on possible cooperation in the area of peaceful application of atomic energy.
The government continues to lobby the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for technical expertise and approval of the nuclear energy plants. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agency experts have also visited proposed nuclear site in Northern and Eastern Uganda.
The Ministry of Energy and the Atomic Energy Council Officials have had several visits to China as part of the bench marking exercises. Meanwhile Museveni said the expansion of the transmission in distribution network of electricity is in progress.
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