Rwanda and the US talk about natural gas and nuclear cooperation
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva met on Wednesday, October 29, in Washington, D.C., to expand collaboration in energy innovation.
Their conversation centers on collaboration in the fields of vital mineral processing, natural gas, nuclear power, and small modular reactors (SMRs), according to Rwanda’s Office of the Prime Minister.
This is revealed as Rwanda prepares to add nuclear power to its energy mix in an effort to boost electricity production for development projects.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in 2024 by the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB) and NANO Nuclear Energy Inc., a US nuclear energy and technology company, to establish a nuclear energy ecosystem in Rwanda.
In order to assist the introduction and ultimate integration of SMRs and microreactors in Rwanda’s energy sector development, the agreement was designed to create a framework in which NANO Nuclear would collaborate with RAEB.
Nuclear technology will be investigated and developed for beneficial applications in a variety of industries, including agriculture, energy, and health, in accordance with the second phase of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), which runs from 2024 to 2029.
Per capita energy consumption is expected to rise from 50 kWh in 2019 to 3,080 kWh in 2050, according to government estimations. Demand forecasts will continue to guide energy generation.
In 2035 and 2050, respectively, Rwanda is expected to require roughly 3,788 MW and 13,981 MW of energy capacity to accommodate the country’s expanding industrial demand. Finding innovative, dependable, and reasonably priced energy sources for industry will be necessary to achieve this.
From 156 MW in 2014 to 406.4 MW in 2024, Rwanda’s installed electricity generation capacity grew, according to data from Rwanda electricity Group (REG).
Developing long-term least-cost power generating plans will help keep tariffs low, and clean and renewable energy will continue to be prioritized as a source of generation, accounting for at least 60% of built capacity, according to the Vision 2050 blueprint.
