- The nuclear reactor would commence operations by 2026 and would not produce electricity for the country’s grid.
- Currently, most of the country’s electricity comes from hydropower and diesel plants, and only about 68 per cent of people have access to electricity.
Rwanda’s atomic energy board says it has signed a deal with a Canadian-German company to build its first small-scale nuclear reactor. Rwandan officials said the reactor won’t produce electricity for the country’s grid. Instead, it would explore the technology developed by Dual Fluid Energy Inc. to address the need for low-carbon energy.
Rwanda and the company would set up a production line of such reactors in the central African nation as the country turns to nuclear power to help meet growing energy needs and adapt to climate change, the officials said. According to the Rwanda Energy Group, most of the country’s electricity comes from hydropower and diesel plants, and only about 68 per cent of people have access to electricity.
Dual Fluid Energy, founded in Canada in 2021, is one of more than 20 small modular reactor projects in development. The reactor projects, assessed in a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency this year, use various approaches and fuel. According to the report, it’s one of the projects in the earlier stages of development, including licensing and sourcing a commercial fuel supply.
Generally, small modular reactors differ from larger conventional ones because they require less fuel. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the reactors offer more flexibility in location and can be prefabricated and shipped. More than 70 commercial reactor designs are being developed worldwide, the IAEA said.
Dual Fluid Energy is pursuing a nuclear fission based on “liquid fuel and lead coolant” that it claims could produce emission-free electricity, hydrogen and synthetic fuels. Rwanda’s government said the reactor would commence operations by 2026, with testing of the technology to be completed by 2028.