AfrPowerOS
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AfrPowerOS country record

Zambia's nuclear & energy program

Zambia's nuclear power program status: Exploring (IAEA milestone phase 1). Confidence-labelled, cited records on capacity, grid targets, regulators, vendors and key events, from the open AfrPowerOS dataset.

Zambia — key facts

  • CountryZambia
  • RegionSouthern Africa
  • Program statusExploring — Early-stage assessment, no commitment yet
  • IAEA milestone phasePhase 1 — Ready to make a knowledgeable commitment to nuclear power
  • Commercial reactors operating0
  • Commercial reactors under construction0
  • Planned capacity1.0 GW
  • RegulatorRadiation Protection Authority
  • Implementing agencyMinistry of Energy / ZESCO
  • Electricity access80.0%
  • Installed capacity3000.0 MW
  • ConfidenceVerified
  • Last verified2026-08-16

Summary

Severe 2024/2025 drought exposed dependence on hydro; government announced exploration of ~1 GW of nuclear power for baseload. Early stage, milestone phase 1.

Key events

  • 2025Zambia announces plan to evaluate ~1 GW nuclear power source

Sources

Related countries

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Eswatini

Confidence labels: Verified (primary source), Inference (reasonable reading of verified evidence), Speculation (hypothesis), Unverified (reported, not confirmed). See the methodology.