Uganda’s nuclear power journey finally starts

The project is propelled by the Energy Policy for Uganda (2023), which includes a long-term vision to generate 24,000 MW from nuclear energy by 2040, and a broader national target of 52,481 MW essential to meeting Uganda’s industrial and socio-economic needs.

Buyende is one of the pilot districts for Uganda’s nuclear programme expected to generate 8,400 MW as the country prepares to generate nuclear energy by 2031. Other districts include; Nakasongola (7,200 MW), Kiruhura (4,800 MW), and Lamwo (4,000 MW).

Mr Dennis Tusiime, a nuclear engineer at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD), said they mapped the entire country, and eight potential sites were identified in the aforementioned districts, including Kasanda and Buyende.

“When we did rankings based on statistics on the ground, Buyende came out top because it was geographically favourable, has very good base rock, and is not within the seismically active (rift valley) areas,” Mr Tusiime told this publication last Wednesday.

He added: “We went further to do peer review because we don’t work alone as the Ministry of Energy, but with MDAs which have experts like geologists, environmentalists, sociologists, hydrologists, who were all co-opted to work as a unified programme.”

The Permanent Secretary in the MEMD, Ms Irene Bateebe, said unveiling the Energy Policy for Uganda (2023) charts a pathway for achieving universal access to electricity and also power Uganda’s economic transformation aspirations in a sustainable and secure manner.

“Nuclear energy will be needed for lighting our homes, powering our industries, and supporting other sectors such as transport through e-mobility and the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR),” Ms Bateebe said last Wednesday.

She added: “Buyende District, through comprehensive evaluations, stood out as the best choice to be the beacon of our nuclear ambitions as a country. This speaks volumes about the district’s potential and strategic importance for the country.”

According to Ms Bateebe, the 8,400 MW Buyende Nuclear Project will result in the involuntary resettlement of residents in Kasaato and surrounding villages in Kidera Sub-county. She added that a RAP study must be conducted and implemented to enhance the development impact of the project and improve the living standards of affected people.

“It is against this background that CCL was procured to prepare a RAP for this project, which will be setting the stage for further technical evaluations for the realisation of this nuclear power plant project,” she said.

CCL is a consultancy firm, which is also undertaking site evaluations for the Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) at Soroti University, a critical infrastructure piece supporting Uganda’s nuclear aspirations.

Ms Vanessa Mulongo, the project manager for CCL for the RAP study, told this publication last Thursday that their consultancy officially began on November 19, with activities planned through May 2025.

She said over the next six months, CCL will be evaluating socio-economic impacts, engaging with the affected communities to ensure fair compensation, livelihood restoration, effective resettlement, collaborate closely with the MEMD and local stakeholders, promoting dialogue and addressing community concerns, among others.

“Other efforts include hydrological, meteorological, and flood analyses, as well as population and land-use assessments to identify human-induced events impacting nuclear facilities,” Ms Mulongo explained.

More than 25,000 people, most of whom are fishermen and livestock farmers residing near River Nile and Lake Kyoga shoreline, are expected to be displaced to pave the way for the project.

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Uganda and minister for East African Community Affairs, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, has requested the Ministry of Energy and the parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources to ensure fairness in the resettlement of the PAPs.

During the launch of the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for Buyende Nuclear Project in Kasaato Village, Buyende District, last Wednesday, Ms Kadaga also sought to understand any implications or radioactive concerns the project comes with, and if any, they should be addressed.

Background 

In April 2023, Cabinet adopted the Energy Policy for Uganda (2023), which envisages the development of 52,481 MW generation capacity in the long term to meet the future demand of which 24,000 MW will come from nuclear power.

Earlier, in May 2022, President Museveni stressed that Uganda would use its uranium deposits to develop energy to supplement the current inadequate capacity of hydro and geothermal power.