Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp. and Uganda's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development are discussing South Korea's participation in a nuclear power plant construction project in Uganda.

The $9 billion project would build two 1,000-megawatt reactors. The IAEA approved the project in May last year, and the first test run is scheduled for 2031. Given that it takes five to eight years to build a nuclear plant, the list of participants could be finalised next year.

The Ugandan government plans to increase the country's nuclear capacity to 2.4 gigawatts by 2040. Hydropower now accounts for more than 80 per cent of its electricity, and it is trying to use its uranium reserves to reduce that.

Recently, the nuclear power market in Africa has been growing rapidly, and countries such as Ghana and Kenya have started similar projects. China and Russia, in particular, are working closely with these governments' projects by providing substantial loans.