TANZANIA · ENERGY
Key Facts
- —The country Tanzania is an East African country on the Indian Ocean. Dar es Salaam is its commercial hub, Dodoma its capital, and its currency the shilling.
- —What happened On Monday 19 October, the state-owned Daily News reported that Tanzania counts nuclear power, including small modular reactors, in its long-term energy mix.
- —The timetable The atomic energy commission said on 5 July that Tanzania aims to generate nuclear electricity within about seven years, pending a UN nuclear watchdog review.
- —The fuel Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, runs the Mkuju River uranium project, planned for 2029 at up to 3,000 tonnes a year.
- —The grid Tanzania has 4,646 megawatts of capacity against a peak demand of about 2,271 megawatts, after a 2,115 megawatt hydropower plant opened on 22 August.
- —Next date A Russia and Africa nuclear forum opens in Dar es Salaam on Thursday 22 October, backed by the atomic energy commission and Rosatom.
- —Still open No site, reactor design, financing or final investment decision for a Tanzanian nuclear plant has been announced.
Tanzania nuclear power is now part of the government’s long-term plan, the state-owned Daily News reported on Monday 19 October. The East African country wants to generate its first nuclear electricity within about seven years, its atomic energy commission said on 5 July.
For US readers, the story touches uranium supply, Russian influence in Africa and a power market that Western reactor makers may want to enter. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, runs the uranium mine and is also in talks with Tanzania about small reactors.
What the Daily News Reported
The Daily News, a government-owned newspaper in Dar es Salaam, said nuclear technology is a cornerstone of Tanzania’s future energy mix. It called small modular reactors, compact units built in a factory, a steadier option than hydropower, which droughts can weaken.
Felchesmi Mramba, the top civil servant at the Ministry of Energy, was quoted calling nuclear “no longer a luxury but a necessity” for industry. Prof Najat Kassim Mohammed, director general of the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission, the state nuclear authority, said small reactors offer steady carbon-free power.
Why Tanzania Wants Nuclear Power
Tanzania nuclear power plans start from a grid with 4,646 megawatts of capacity, against a peak demand of about 2,271 megawatts. The surplus follows the opening on Saturday 22 August of the 2,115 megawatt Julius Nyerere hydropower plant on the Rufiji River.
The plant cost about 7.452 trillion Tanzanian shillings (about US$2.8 billion at 2,640 shillings to the dollar), according to the Ministry of Energy. The Daily News put hydropower at more than 60 per cent of capacity and called it vulnerable to drought.
The Uranium Behind the Plan
Mantra Tanzania, a subsidiary of Rosatom, is developing the Mkuju River project in Ruvuma region in the south of the country. President Samia Suluhu Hassan opened a pilot processing plant there on 30 July 2025.
The full complex is planned to produce up to 3,000 tonnes of uranium a year, with commissioning scheduled for 2029. Rosatom puts the investment at about US$1 billion and expects more than 4,000 jobs.
Tanzania says the site holds about 58,500 tonnes of uranium. In the first years, mined uranium will go to Russia for processing and the fuel will return, the commission said on 5 July.
The Road Map to the First Reactor
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, requires 19 steps in three phases before a country can start a plant. Tanzania has finished early preparations but has not formally entered phase one, the commission said on 5 July.
Tanzania has invited IAEA experts to judge whether its nuclear power plans are ready, and phase one covers laws and an independent safety regulator. If the review is positive, the country can move on, aiming for nuclear electricity within about seven years.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in early June, with nuclear energy on the agenda. At the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that month, she said Tanzania is interested in small nuclear plants that Rosatom is discussing with it.
In the 2030s, Tanzania could consider a one or two unit plant, said Alexey Likhachev, who leads Rosatom. Floating units suit its coast, islands and rivers, he added.
The Nuclear Forum on Thursday 22 October
A one-day forum, Dialogue of Continents, takes place on Thursday 22 October at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Dar es Salaam. Women in Nuclear Tanzania and the Association of Women in Nuclear Russia organise it under the theme Nuclear Energy for the Future.
The atomic energy commission, Rosatom and the African network of Women in Nuclear back the event. Speakers will discuss careers, nuclear medicine, mining and training for young scientists.
What It Means for US Readers
Rosatom is the main foreign player in Tanzania’s uranium, so any deal on Tanzania nuclear power would deepen Russia’s footprint in East Africa. The US has banned imports of Russian-produced enriched uranium since 12 August 2024, with waivers possible only until 2028.
Tanzania’s top energy civil servant named the United States among possible nuclear partners in June 2025, alongside France, South Korea, Russia and China. He said the state would lead the project and pick partners after meeting international conditions.
The Rio Times set out Tanzania’s ties with the US, China and the Gulf in its Tanzania geopolitics explainer. It also covered the grid link that would carry Tanzanian power north and south in its report on the Tanzania Zambia power line.
What Is Not Known
No site, reactor design, financing or investment decision has been announced for Tanzania nuclear power. The result of the IAEA readiness review has not been made public.
Officials have given different demand forecasts for 2030 and 2050, so how much new power nuclear must supply is open. It is also unclear whether Tanzanian uranium processed in Russia would count as Russian-produced under US import rules.
More: Tanzania news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tanzania have a nuclear power plant?
No. Tanzania has no nuclear power plant, and the country has not yet formally entered the first phase of the IAEA road map. Tanzania nuclear power is targeted within about seven years.
Where is Tanzania’s uranium?
The main deposit is the Mkuju River project in Ruvuma region, in the south of the country. Mantra Tanzania, a Rosatom subsidiary, is developing it, with commissioning scheduled for 2029.
Who is Rosatom?
Rosatom is Russia’s state nuclear corporation, which mines uranium, builds reactors and sells nuclear fuel. In Tanzania it runs the Mkuju River project and is discussing small reactors with the government.
Why does Tanzania want nuclear power when it has spare capacity?
Tanzania has 4,646 megawatts of capacity against a peak demand of 2,271 megawatts. Officials say Tanzania nuclear power would give steady supply for industry as demand grows and droughts threaten hydropower.
What does this mean for the United States?
Rosatom’s role links the project to US limits on Russian uranium, and the energy ministry has named the US among possible partners. No reactor deal with any country has been announced.
Sources: Daily News, Tanzania, 19 October 2026; Daily News, IAEA road map, 5 July 2026; The Guardian, Dar es Salaam, 12 June 2026; Uchumi360, Dar es Salaam forum, 20 October 2026; Tanzania Insight, forum, 13 October 2026; African Sustainability Matters, Julius Nyerere plant, 24 August 2026; The Citizen, Tanzania, 24 June 2025; Morgan Lewis, Prohibiting Russian Uranium Imports Act, May 2024.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief