Zimbabwe has turned to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to study options of using nuclear energy in the country for meeting growing demand in electricity, Energy Minister Edgar Moyo said during a session in the Zimbabwean parliament National Assembly last week, a local newspaper reported.
"As Zimbabwe, we have expressed our interest to the IAEA our desire to get into nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. They are with us, and they are taking us through. Committees have been set up, which are looking into that and there are milestones that we have to meet as a country before we get to the stage of developing small modular reactors so that our contribution to the clean energy mix is heightened," Moyo was quoted as saying by the media.
According to the report, the Kariba Hydro Power Plant provides most of the electricity to Zimbabwe, its capacity accounts for over 1,000 MW. The media noted that the power generation in the plant was negatively influenced by the droughts.
In April, Zimbabwe declared drought a national disaster, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa saying the country needed $2 billion in aid to help millions of people who are facing hunger. In Southern Africa, Zimbabwe was the third country to declare drought a national disaster, after Malawi and Zambia. The measure allows for more resources to address the crisis.
In March, a local newspaper reported that Zimbabwe licensed 10 more independent power producers (IPP), which are to start generating 271MW of electricity in 12-24 months. According to the media, the licenses were issued under the government project support agreement, which now involves almost 40 private license holders.