Mugabe reveals uranium power plan

Source: BBC

Date: 20 November 2005

Author: Anon

Deposits of uranium have been unearthed in Zimbabwe, the country's President Robert Mugabe has said.

Mr Mugabe said Zimbabwe would use the uranium to boost its energy supplies, but would not pursue nuclear weapons.

Zimbabwe has a chronic energy shortage, blamed on a lack of foreign currency for spare parts, and imports power from several neighbouring countries.

It also has close ties with Iran and North Korea, two states in the spotlight for their nuclear policies.

Zimbabwe state television carried reports of Mr Mugabe's comments, without giving details of where any uranium has been discovered.

Stations under-power

"We recently discovered uranium which is used for many purposes, including electricity generation," Mr Mugabe said.

"Uranium also makes nuclear bombs such as those which were used to massacre the Japanese at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. That was sad indeed.

"But we will not use it to make bombs but to generate electricity," he added.

"The discovery of uranium will go a long way in further enhancing the government rural electrification programme."

Zimbabwe has two main power stations - one thermal and one hydro-electric, but has failed to produce enough domestic power in recent years.

It imports electricity from Mozambique, DR Congo and South Africa to meet its needs.

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Mugabe hails uranium find and vows to pursue nuclear power

Source: The Guardian (UK)

Date: 21 November 2005

Author: Andrew Meldrum

Zimbabwe has recently discovered uranium deposits and plans to process the mineral in order to resolve its chronic power shortages, state radio quoted President Robert Mugabe as saying yesterday. "The discovery of uranium will go a long way in further enhancing the government's rural electrification programme," he was quoted as saying, according to Associated Press. It has been known for many years that uranium deposits lie in the Zambezi river valley in northern Zimbabwe. But mining experts in Harare say these were not thought to be large enough to support a viable mine. "It is a huge step from locating some uranium deposits to developing a working uranium mine and refinery, and it is an even bigger leap to establish a nuclear reactor," said John Robertson, an economist in Harare. "Where would Mugabe source the substantial finance and technical expertise needed to build a nuclear reactor?" It could take four to five years to set up a uranium mine. Considerable technical skills would then be needed to produce the uranium concentrate needed for a nuclear reactor, said Mr Robertson.

Zimbabwe has poor relations with Britain, the European Union and the United States, but has close ties with two countries that have controversial nuclear programmes - Iran and North Korea. Mr Mugabe made mention of Zimbabwe's uranium deposits once before, in the 1990s, when he announced plans to acquire a nuclear reactor from Argentina, but nothing else was ever heard about the proposal. Neighbouring Namibia has a uranium mine near the port of Walvis Bay. South Africa has southern Africa's only nuclear power station at Koeberg and is currently developing a new "pebble-bed" design of reactor. Zimbabwe has been plagued with a shortage of electricity for several years, resulting in power blackouts to industrial and residential areas across the capital. The country currently has a shortfall on most days of 400 to 450 megawatts of its requirements of 2,100 megawatts. The state-owned power company, the Zimbabwe Electric Supply Authority, has imported power from South Africa, Mozambique and Congo on the regional grid, but has been late in paying its bills to those countries.

By suggesting that Zimbabwe will develop its own source of nuclear power, Mr Mugabe may be seeking to offer a glimmer of hope to frustrated citizens coping with worsening shortages of electricity, water, fuel and food. "Perhaps Mr Mugabe is also trying to get Zimbabwe to be considered as a strategically important state in the international community," said Mr Robertson. "He can see how Iran and North Korea are using the threat of developing nuclear power as a bargaining chip with the United States." The real concern of the international community would be if Zimbabwe built a nuclear reactor that produced, as a by-product, high-grade plutonium that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Zimbabwe has rich mineral resources, including the world's second-largest platinum deposits, high-quality chrome, gold and several other metals.