Kenya and South Korea have agreed to deepen cooperation on nuclear research and development, signing a memorandum of understanding focused on the Kenya Nuclear Research Reactor (KNRR) project at the 69th IAEA General Conference in Vienna this week, The Electricity Hub reported.

The MoU was signed by Justus Wabuyabo, head of the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA), a Kenyan state agency mandated to promote and implement the national nuclear programme, and Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) president Han Gyu Joo.

“KAERI and NuPEA share a mutual vision of harnessing nuclear technology for peaceful, socio-economic development,” Han is quoted as saying. “This agreement strengthens our bond and sets the stage for impactful cooperation.”

The two entities have worked together on KNRR feasibility studies, in addition to conducting stakeholder assessments, economic analyses and site evaluations. The KNRR is central to Kenya’s long-term plans to apply nuclear technology in health, agriculture, industry and research, in line with the government’s development agenda.

Wabuyabo described the agreement with the Korean institute as “a significant milestone that reaffirms Kenya’s commitment to advancing nuclear science and technology as a driver of national development.”

As bne IntelliNews reported, Kenya recently confirmed plans to generate 1,000 MW from its first nuclear power plant (NPP). The Ministry of Energy has unveiled plans for a multibillion-dollar facility in Siaya County, western Kenya, and is assessing potential sites along Lake Victoria. NuPEA has identified Siaya, Kwale and Kilifi as potential host sites.

Kenya is looking to nuclear power to help diversify away from climate-vulnerable hydropower, which in 2024 provided 838 MW of capacity, compared with 863 MW from geothermal and 678 MW from thermal.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), more than 20 African countries are actively exploring the potential of nuclear energy, including small modular reactors (SMRs).

South Africa is the only country on the continent currently operating an NPP. Egypt, through collaboration with Russia’s Rosatom, is constructing an NPP with four large units, with the first one expected to be operational in 2028.

Other countries, such as Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, have conducted their pre-feasibility studies and have made a firm decision to use nuclear technology for electricity generation, according to the IAEA, with 10 more countries are at various stages of consideration.