French nuclear energy giant Areva has expressed interest in developing Tanzania’s nuclear power potential, regional and international news sources report.
Areva vice president Judy Nwokedi told Reuters the company would be “following up” on remarks made by the energy and minerals minister at the recent World Economic Forum on Africa in Dar es Salaam to the effect that the country expects to start mining some of its 54 million pounds of uranium oxide deposits by 2011 with a view to pursuing the option of producing nuclear power. Numerous companies are licensed to explore for uranium in Tanzania and two of these, Mantra Tanzania Limited and Uranex Tanzania Limited, both subsidiaries of Australian companies, have received permission from the government to start mining.
Areva is also in negotiations with the government to build a nuclear power plant in Tanzania, “The East African” newspaper reports. However the cost, time-scale and proposed technology for the development have not been made clear and the country would need to make extensive regulatory, infrastructure and safety preparations before plans could go ahead, as well as informing the local population about the implications of such a development.
Tanzania currently relies on hydropower for its electricity but it suffers regular power cuts due to problems with maintenance and supply. Supporters of nuclear power promote it as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy option, while opponents believe the same resources would be better spent developing truly sustainable energy solutions such as solar power and wind.
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