Zimbabwe Joins Other African Nations in Pursuit of Nuclear Power

Yahoo

03-03-2025

Officials in Zimbabwe recently said the country will work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and likely with investment from Russia, to develop a nuclear power program in the country. Zimbabwe is joining other African nations exploring nuclear power as a way to help solve chronic problems with electricity supply. Demand for power continues to increase on the continent due to growing populations and economic expansion.
1. The Koeberg nuclear power station in South Africa is the only nuclear power plant on the African continent. Its two units, with more than 1,800 MW of generation capacity in total, have operated since the mid-1980s. Courtesy: Eskom
The only African country currently producing nuclear energy is South Africa. The French-built Koeberg plant (Figure 1) near Cape Town, with two Framatome reactors and just more than 1,800 MW of generation capacity, has operated for 40 years. Officials have said Russia will work on an expansion of that power station, and possibly on construction of new reactors elsewhere in the country. Eskom, South Africa's state power company, said it re-connected Unit 2 at Koeberg to the national grid on Dec. 30 of last year after replacing three steam generators, conducting comprehensive inspections, and refueling the reactor. A decision on extending the unit's operating license is expected this year. Koeberg Unit 1's operating license was renewed last year for another 20 years, to 2044. The Koeberg units, both pressurized water reactors, have operated since 1984 and 1985, respectively. Bheki Nxumalo, group executive for generation at Eskom, in a statement said, 'As South Africa phases out some of the aging coal-fired power plants by 2030, nuclear energy is poised to provide a reliable and stable baseload supply. Unlike intermittent renewable sources, nuclear power ensures continuous electricity generation, meeting the needs of both residential and industrial users. Its ability to produce carbon-free energy also supports South Africa's climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.' Edgar Moyo, minister of Zimbabwe's Energy and Power Development, said his country plans to increase its power generation capacity to at least 4 GW by 2035, up from the current 2.6 GW, although government data shows actual daily power generation is about half of capacity. Moyo said his country will collaborate with Russia on construction of small nuclear reactors. Moyo in late December told journalists at a meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, that the IAEA 'have indicated their willingness to take us through paces until we get there.' Russia already has agreements to build nuclear power plants with Egypt, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso, in addition to South Africa. Russian nuclear energy state-owned company Rosatom and the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in 2021 signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on nuclear energy. Economists and geopolitical analysts have said Russia wants to take a lead role in Africa's energy future to expand its influence on the continent. 'A reliable nuclear energy infrastructure could supply electricity to millions of people in rural or underserved areas,' said Irina Tsukerman, an adviser and foreign policy expert with Scarab Rising, a U.S.-based geopolitical research group. 'Many African countries still face significant gaps in electricity access, and nuclear power can help bridge that gap, particularly in countries with a growing urban population. Nuclear energy can provide a stable supply for expanding economies, ensuring industries and households have reliable power without frequent outages or blackouts, which are common in many parts of Africa.' Tsukerman told POWER, 'Right now, South Africa is the only country in Africa with a nuclear plant, although several more are being planned. In theory, introduction of nuclear power throughout the continent could be effective in addressing power shortages. That's because nuclear power has significant advantages over other forms of energy that could work well, including in developing countries.' Tsukerman said nuclear power would benefit Africa because it would provide 'reliable energy production' as well as 'large amounts of energy from relatively small amounts of fuel. For countries with limited land or resources, nuclear power can provide a reliable source of electricity without requiring vast areas of land, unlike solar or wind energy, which depend on large installations.' Gloria Magombo, Zimbabwe's secretary for energy and power development, during a December 2024 media briefing said that in addition to nuclear power, the country also wants to deploy more renewable energy resources apart from hydropower, which has been impacted by drought conditions. Magombo said, 'We are looking at coming in by 2030 with up to about 2,000 megawatts' from solar, wind, and hydropower resources. The country has a National Renewable Energy Program, though officials have said private investment along with public capital will be needed to support a build-out. A Renewable Energy Fund was launched in September of last year. The U.S. State Department in a report last year said, 'Debt significantly hinders Zimbabwe's economic growth and development,' noting the country 'owes over $9 billion [$7.0 billion of which is in arrears and penalties] to international financial institutions and bilateral creditors, equating to about 33% of the country's GDP [gross domestic product].' Dr. Lisa Marshall, president of the American Nuclear Society, and Dr. Sola Talabi, president of Pittsburgh Technical, a nuclear power consulting firm, told POWER that nuclear power would offer reliable baseload power for Zimbabwe and other African nations, and serve as a complement to other sources of energy while promoting foreign investment. The two noted that with 'population growth and socio-economic needs, what nuclear energy brings to the table is an energy course that can be coupled with district heating [providing higher efficiencies and better pollution control than localized boilers, for instance], as well as the potential of radioisotopes for medical diagnosis and treatment.' The two said that the World Bank Group categorizes Zimbabwe as a 'lower middle-income country with strong human and natural capital and significant growth potential. Building on its highly educated workforce, abundant natural resources, and recent advances in economic policy, together with key structural and institutional reforms, Zimbabwe could achieve steady and rapid growth and move towards an upper middle-income country status, which the Government of Zimbabwe has targeted for 2030.' They noted that the 'simplified and decentralized infrastructure of advanced reactors make them very attractive to emerging markets where large infrastructure deployment is very challenging. For example, a microreactor can be deployed within days, thereby providing immediate power.' Tsukerman agreed that nuclear power would be a way to attract foreign investment to Africa. 'Nuclear power projects, due to their size and complexity, can attract foreign investments, boosting economic development and infrastructure in the surrounding regions,' she said. 'Building and maintaining nuclear power plants requires skilled labor, including engineers, technicians, and construction workers. This can help boost local economies and create long-term employment.' Tsukerman also noted that nuclear power could help lower or even eliminate some African countries reliance on imported oil, natural gas, and coal for power generation. 'Nuclear power can help reduce this reliance, enhancing energy security and ensuring a more stable energy supply,' she said. Tsukerman also noted that 'Africa has significant uranium reserves, and mining it for nuclear power could provide a domestic source of fuel. Countries like Namibia, Niger, and South Africa have the potential to harness this resource.' Marshall and Talabi said there would be a connection between Zimbabwe's mining industry and its increased interest in nuclear power, saying that advanced reactors and microreactors have the potential to decarbonize the mining sector. They said that advanced reactors can provide reliable, low-carbon heat and electricity for mining operations, replacing traditional fossil fuel-based energy sources. This would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support climate goals. The two also noted that many of the country's mining operations are located in remote areas where access to the grid is limited. They said that microreactors 'can be readily deployed in these off-grid locations to provide a stable power supply, reducing reliance on diesel generators.' Talabi and Marshall said that the country's 'mining sector is essential for the clean energy transition, as it supplies critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements needed for renewable energy technologies. Microreactors can enable sustainable and cost-effective mining of these minerals.' Whether U.S. companies, particularly those in the nuclear power space, would invest in Zimbabwe is questionable. The U.S. government ended its Zimbabwe Sanctions Program in March of last year, but continues to monitor individuals and companies under its Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, or GloMag, part of the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Officials in the U.S. and other countries, including the UK, have cited corruption, political instability, and the country's high levels of debt as reasons to be wary of investment. Tsukerman noted the economic issues in Zimbabwe and other African countries are also a factor. 'A downside of the U.S. reactors is that they tend to be more expensive than the Russian and Chinese technologies, they are limited in scale and size, and so more would need to be purchased to serve communities,' she said, noting the U.S. 'has yet to negotiate agreements with many of these countries, which in itself could be a monumental task given an anti-Western trend, particularly in West Africa, on the one hand, and the aggressive entry of other actors, such as Russia and China, on the other. Moreover, the U.S. has strict anti-corruption laws, which complicate bidding for tenders in countries with a different business culture, and many of the U.S. companies are reluctant to engage anywhere with an apparent high business risk.' India is another country working to make inroads in Africa. 'India currently is at the forefront of building thorium reactors,' said Tsukerman. 'According to plan, 30% of the Indian electricity in 2050 will be generated from thorium-based reactors. India is also a growing power throughout Africa, striving to compete with China and to expand its own geopolitical and economic reach. It has no shortage of workforce or engineers, and its work would be cheaper than U.S. or European implementation. However, so far India has not applied power plant outreach to its economic programs in Africa, and also struggles with modernizing its own business culture and implementation, focusing on exports of raw materials for the time being.'
2. Officials in Ghana, along with U.S.-based Regnum Technology Group, last year reached an agreement to deploy a NuScale VOYGR-12 small modular reactor in Ghana. Courtesy: NuScale Power
There is some U.S. investment for nuclear technology in Africa. At the U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, last year, Nuclear Power Ghana and U.S. nuclear technology project developer Regnum Technology Group reached an agreement to deploy a single NuScale VOYGR-12 (Figure 2) small modular reactor (SMR) facility in Ghana. Their goal is to own and operate the continent's first commercial advanced light-water SMR plant. 'Of course, whether the Western powers decide to compete with the Russian and Chinese variants depends a lot on the terms they can negotiate,' said Tsukerman. She said that Japan, 'which is making slow headways in the more-developed African countries like Kenya, could be well-positioned to provide a viable alternative to Russia and China in the nuclear sector.' —Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.