Zimbabwe Seeks Russian Collaboration for Nuclear Power Development, Energy Minister Says
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In 2021, Russian nuclear energy state-owned company Rosatom and the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Zimbabwe signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the area of peaceful atomic energy use.
Zimbabwe is interested in collaborating with Russia to develop nuclear power generation using small modular reactors, the African country's Energy and Power Development Minister Edgar Moyo stated during a briefing at the country's Ministry of Information.
"We intend to create nuclear generation facilities in our country, primarily in the form of small modular nuclear reactors. We are working closely with specialized companies in Russia. […] We have clearly indicated our interest in developing our own nuclear generation, and they have indicated their readiness to assist us," he said.
This initiative reportedly aims to address Zimbabwe's persistent power shortages caused by blackouts and drought-reduced hydroelectric power.
"The development of nuclear power generation is one of the main ways we have chosen to develop the national energy sector," Moyo also noted.
Zimbabwe plans to significantly increase its power generation to 4,000 megawatts by 2025, with 13 new power plants to be commissioned, the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Company head Sidney Gata stated at the press-conference.
