Rwanda and a Canadian company could create a reactor production line in the Central African nation, as the country explores nuclear power to meet growing energy needs.
The Rwanda Atomic Energy Board announced that it has signed an agreement with a Canadian and German company to build its first small-scale nuclear reactor to test “a new approach to nuclear fission.”
Rwandan authorities said Tuesday that the reactor will not produce electricity for the country’s grid. Instead, it will explore technology developed by Dual Fluid Energy Inc. to respond to the need for cleaner energy sources.
Rwanda and the company will be able to create a production line for such reactors in the Central African nation as the country explores nuclear power to meet growing energy needs and adapt to climate change, Rwandan authorities said.
Dual Fluid Energy, founded in Canada in 2021, has one of more than 20 small modular reactor projects in development. – using various approaches and fuels – which were evaluated in a report this year by the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
According to the aforementioned report, this is one of the projects that is in the initial stages of development, including the Licensing and obtaining qualified commercial fuel supply..
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), small modular reactors generally differ from larger conventional reactors in that they require less fuel, be safer, offer greater location flexibility and can be prefabricated and shipped.
More than 70 commercial reactor projects are being developed around the world, the IAEA said.
Dual Fluid Energy is pursuing nuclear fission based on “liquid fuel and lead coolant” that the company says could produce emissions-free electricity, hydrogen and synthetic fuels “at lower costs than fossil fuels.” The company claims that with this approach nuclear fuel is used “up to one hundred times better” than in traditional light water reactors.
We are now convinced that we have found the ideal partner for the first realization of our innovative technology,” said CEO Götz Ruprecht in a joint statement announcing the agreement with Rwanda.
According to experts, great challenges remain ahead.
“The supposed operating temperature of It is not easy to reach 1,000 degrees Celsius with a lead coolant without using expensive high-temperature alloys.without real experience,” explained visiting professor at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at the University of Manchester, Juan Matthews, to the Associated Press news agency.
The project has interesting characteristics, however, it has a very low level of technological preparation and would require a lot of work to confirm that the project is viable,” said the professor.
The reactor is expected to be operational in 2026 and technology testing will be completed in 2028, the Rwandan government said in the joint statement.
Rwanda provides the site and infrastructure, while its scientists receive training on the technology. This association was valued at 75 million dollars (about 70 million euros).
The announcement comes a week after the first African Climate Summit launched a unanimous call for a shift towards greater use of clean energy, along with a global tax on fossil fuels.
The executive director of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board, Fidel Ndahayo, stated that The agreement is part of a partnership strategy with start-up companies. that develop small modular nuclear reactor technologies.
The Rwandan government has declared its nuclear ambitions for peaceful purposes, to help boost development.
Source: Observadora
