Rwanda 'making significant progress' on nuclear energy programme

The 10-strong Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review mission took place during the first week of March in Rwanda, which currently has no nuclear power reactors, but plans for nuclear power to supply 60-70% of its energy mix in future decades.

President Paul Kagame told the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on Tuesday nuclear capacity will "diversify our energy mix while providing the stability required for industrial growth and long-term transformation".

Referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission, he added: "We are grateful to the International Atomic Energy Agency for supporting the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board as well as our national regulator in this endeavour."

"Nuclear energy is not too complex or risky for developing countries. The standards developed by the IAEA provide a universal framework that can be applied by countries at every income level."

Good practices observed during the IAEA mission which could be shared with other prospective nuclear energy countries included "proactive engagement with stakeholders, and early and comprehensive preparation for emergency preparedness and response … progress made in the areas of drafting a new comprehensive nuclear law, initiating work to enhance the regulatory framework for a nuclear power programme, conducting site surveys and identifying candidate sites for the planned SMR project".

Recommendations included "finalising the comprehensive report to support the national decision-making to introduce nuclear power, completing the review of national legislation, and further developing and adopting policies and strategies to support the nuclear power programme".

The leader of the mission, Mehmet Ceyhan, Technical Lead of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section, said: "Strong government support and the effective coordination of the preparatory work helped Rwanda make significant progress towards deciding on a nuclear power programme.

"The level of preparation and involvement from all participating organisations and teams during the mission reflected a deep commitment to the programme."

Such missions take place at the invitation of the host country. Jimmy Gasore, Rwanda's Minister of Infrastructure, said: "Rwanda remains firmly committed to the responsible, safe and transparent development of nuclear power infrastructure. The IAEA's review provides us with invaluable guidance to ensure that our national framework aligns with international safety standards and global best practices."

Following the mission, whose members included experts from Egypt, Estonia, Kenya and Pakistan as well as agency staff, the IAEA and Rwanda will develop an integrated plan for continuing support during the development of the nuclear energy programme.

Kagame added in his speech: "Our country is prepared to proceed through the agency's milestone approach to the next stage. Nuclear technology is evolving in ways that benefit countries with small grids, allowing Africa to be among the early adopters. Small modular reactors in particular are especially suited to Africa's requirements."