Chaired by African Energy deputy editor Marc Howard, this online roundtable examined the prospects for the nuclear industry across the continent and the potential role nuclear power could play in Africa's energy transition.
Guest speakers include:
Renewed momentum for nuclear energy was underlined by a COP28 climate summit pledge to triple global capacity by 2050.
While Africa currently has just two of the world's 412 operational reactors, at Koeberg in South Africa, interest in nuclear power is surging. Four more reactors are on the way at Egypt's under-construction El Dabaa, while Pretoria has also started plans to commissioned another 2.5GWe of capacity.
Several African other countries are seeking to develop nuclear power plants, although the huge capital costs pose daunting obstacles. A new generation of small reactors, while not yet commercially viable, may offer a solution for some to add significant capacity.
African countries have also long been important uranium producers, a role set to increase further as global demand for yellowcake increases in tandem with the energy transition. Miners have intensified uranium extraction and prospecting over the past two years, with traditional producers Namibia, Niger and Malawi seeing renewed and new activity, along with greenfield projects in Botswana, Tanzania and Zambia advancing.
Eleanor Daggett
Africa Investment Exchange membership co-ordinator
E: [email protected]
T: +44 1424 721667
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