RWANDA has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative to construct a test nuclear reactor in collaboration with Dual Fluid Energy Inc, a Canadian-German company. This innovative project will employ cutting-edge technology utilising liquid fuel and lead coolant, with the goal of reducing radioactive waste.
The Rwanda Atomic Energy Board announced this significant development, highlighting the potential benefits of the novel reactor technology. The project’s demonstration reactor is anticipated to become operational by 2026, and subsequent testing of the Dual Fluid technology is slated for completion by 2028. To finance the test phase, Dual Fluid CEO Goetz Ruprecht disclosed during a news conference in Kigali that the company has allocated €70 million ($75 million).
As of now, Rwanda possesses an installed electricity generation capacity of 332.6 megawatts (MW), predominantly sourced from hydropower dams, supplemented by methane, solar, and peat-based generation.
In the African continent, South Africa is the sole nation with an operational nuclear power plant, while Russia’s state-owned energy corporation, Rosatom, commenced the construction of Egypt’s inaugural nuclear plant last year. Additionally, in March, Uganda announced its aspirations to generate at least 1,000 MW of nuclear power by 2031.
The Rwanda Atomic Energy Board revealed that it has collaboratively established a roadmap with Dual Fluid Energy Inc for the test reactor’s implementation following the conclusion of tests. Once predefined success criteria are met, both parties will proceed to the subsequent technological readiness phases, encompassing the examination of nuclear power plant design, construction, and operations based on the experiment results.
