{"id":2000112408,"date":"2026-05-18T11:54:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T09:54:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000112408"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:02:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T10:02:37","slug":"rwanda-could-begin-construction-of-nuclear-power-plant-within-two-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-could-begin-construction-of-nuclear-power-plant-within-two-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda could begin construction of nuclear power plant within two years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

He made the remarks on May 16, 2026, during a two-day consultative meeting organized by the institution in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forum, which started on May 15, focused on strategies to support industrial development in Rwanda and advance plans to generate electricity using nuclear energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ndahayo said the discussions were necessary because developing a nuclear power plant requires extensive planning, investment, and coordination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe objective is to ensure that as many local resources as possible contribute to implementing the nuclear energy project. When such projects are managed effectively and at a high standard, they can significantly boost the country\u2019s economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 16, experts and representatives from several African countries met to discuss how large-scale nuclear energy projects could be financed and implemented across the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ndahayo noted that many African countries face financial constraints when pursuing projects of this scale, as the investment required can sometimes exceed national budgets or even a country\u2019s gross domestic product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that UNECA has conducted studies exploring financing mechanisms that could help developing countries mobilize the resources needed to build nuclear power infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Dr. Ndahayo, an assessment conducted by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency found that Rwanda has made significant progress in building the institutional and technical capacity needed to adopt nuclear energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the findings indicate that the country is on track to begin implementation works by 2028.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur target is that by 2028, construction of a nuclear power plant should begin,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he acknowledged that a number of major requirements still need to be completed within the next two years, including selecting the technology to be used, securing financing, and identifying contractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is still a lot to be done within that timeframe. We must finalize the technology, secure funding sources, identify the companies that will build the plant, and ensure everything is ready so that the foundation stone can be laid in 2028,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Ndahayo also said Rwanda\u2019s hosting of Nuclear Energy Innovation Summit on Africa, scheduled for May 18\u201321, 2026, will provide an important opportunity to attract potential partners for the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He revealed that six potential sites across Rwanda have already been identified for the construction of the plant, though detailed feasibility studies are still ongoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The selected locations were chosen based on several criteria, including access to water, relatively flat terrain, low seismic risk, and limited human activity nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have identified six possible locations that meet the initial requirements, such as water availability, absence of high mountains, low exposure to earthquakes, and limited population activity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite this progress, Dr. Ndahayo stressed that further in-depth geological and environmental studies are still required before a final site can be selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIdentifying the sites is only the beginning. The next step is conducting detailed studies. Even for a seven-story building, engineers first examine the ground conditions carefully. Imagine the level of assessment needed for a nuclear power plant,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to go as deep as 100 meters underground to confirm whether the site is suitable. That is why we cannot yet disclose the exact locations, because the studies are still ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda aims to have a nuclear power plant operational by 2030 as part of its long-term strategy to expand electricity generation and diversify energy sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
The two-day consultative meeting was organized by the institution in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Dr. Ndahayo disclosed that an assessment conducted by experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency found that Rwanda has made significant progress in building the institutional and technical capacity needed to adopt nuclear energy.
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rwanda plans to begin construction of its first nuclear power plant within the next two years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda could begin construction of its first nuclear power plant within the next two years, according to the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), Dr. Fidele Ndahayo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000112412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000112408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-40","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000112412,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adobestock_953693055.jpg","alt":"","caption":"Rwanda plans to begin construction of its first nuclear power plant within the next two years.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1920,"height":1280,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adobestock_953693055.jpg","width":150,"height":100},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adobestock_953693055.jpg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adobestock_953693055.jpg","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adobestock_953693055.jpg","width":1024,"height":683},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/adobestock_953693055.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000112408"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000112414,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112408\/revisions\/2000112414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000112412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000112408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000112408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000112408"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000112408"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000112408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}