Policy and licensing / Rwanda

Rwanda: SMR policy and licensing

Selected federal, state, territory, and national measures whose official text was opened. This is not a complete list of laws, rules or programmes for any jurisdiction. A jurisdiction without a page here is not a finding that it has no policy, and these pages do not rate or prefer any jurisdiction. Nothing here implies that a project is eligible for, or approved under, any measure.

Laws, rules and executive directives

• Rwanda: Law N° 59/2017 governing radiation protection · In effect
  Law N° 59/2017 of 24/01/2018 governing radiation protection; Official Gazette n° Special of 25/01/2018; in force on publication (Article 37) · Parliament of Rwanda; promulgated by the President of the Republic · affects: National reactor licensing
  Rwanda's 2018 radiation protection law gives the utilities regulator (RURA) independent authority to regulate and authorise ionising-radiation activities. It contains no reactor-specific licensing sequence; RURA's 2024 nuclear installation licensing regulation is made under it. A comprehensive nuclear law was still being drafted in March 2026.
  Not approved or pending: Rwanda had not completed a comprehensive nuclear law: a March 2026 IAEA review, as reported by NucNet, found drafting in progress and recommended completing the review of legislation. Later amendments to this law were not checked.
• Rwanda: Presidential Order N° 127/01 establishing the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (2020) · In effect
  Presidential Order N° 127/01 of 03/12/2020 establishing Rwanda Atomic Energy Board; Official Gazette n° Special of 04/12/2020; in force on publication (Article 31) · President of the Republic of Rwanda · affects: State programme administration
  Rwanda's Presidential Order of 3 December 2020 established the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board to promote peaceful use of atomic energy, advise the Government and promote and support the construction of nuclear energy installations for electricity. It is an institutional measure; it names no project and grants no licence.
  Not approved or pending: The order creates a promotion and implementation body; it provides no budget figure, names no project or site and grants no licence. RAEB's agreements with vendors are recorded separately as programmes. A government nuclear programme roadmap was not found as an official text.
• Rwanda: RURA Regulation No 013/2024 governing licensing of nuclear installations · In effect
  Regulation No 013/R/RS-NRP/RURA/2024 of 30/07/2024 governing licensing of nuclear installations; signed at Kigali on 9 August 2024; in force on signature (Article 28) · Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA), Regulatory Board · affects: Siting, National reactor licensing, Licensing review fees
  Rwanda's utilities regulator adopted a licensing regulation for nuclear installations in force from 9 August 2024. It requires a site licence (valid ten years and allowing site preparation), then construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning licences, and lists the documents each application needs. It is a licensing rule, not a permission for any project.
  Not approved or pending: Siting criteria (for example seismic or population limits) are not set in this regulation and no separate siting regulation is listed by RURA. A later draft licensing regulation posted for consultation was not assessed. No site licence for any project is recorded here.

Bills, proposed rules and consultations

• None recorded in this pilot.

Funding and support programmes

• None recorded in this pilot.

Recorded applications and decisions for tracked projects and designs in Rwanda

Project and design permissions are separate from the general measures above.

• None recorded.

What this review has read for Rwanda

As of 18 Oct 2026. Bounded review concluded. A bounded review of three national source classes, not a complete list of laws, rules or programmes. Coverage for every reviewed country.

• Controlling reactor licensing framework: Evidence read. Law N° 59/2017 on radiation protection, which empowers the utilities regulator, was read in the Official Gazette copy posted by RURA; press reporting of the March 2026 IAEA review states that a comprehensive nuclear law was still being drafted.
• Siting restrictions or rules: Evidence read. RURA Regulation No 013/2024 on licensing nuclear installations, which sets the site licence requirement, was read; RURA's list of nuclear and radiation regulations shows no separate regulation with siting criteria.
• Directly relevant support measures: Evidence read. Presidential Order N° 127/01 of 3 December 2020 establishing the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board was read in the Official Gazette copy posted by RAEB; RAEB's small modular reactor page is descriptive and no official national nuclear programme roadmap was found on RAEB's site.

Sources read (6):

• www.rura.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/RURA/Documents/Laws_and_Regulations/Law_G… · checked 2026-10-18
• www.nucnet.org/news/iaea-review-says-rwanda-making-progress-towards-nuclear… · checked 2026-10-18
• www.rura.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/RURA/Documents/Sectors/Nuclear___Radiatio… · checked 2026-10-18
• www.rura.rw/sectors/nuclear-radiation/regulations-and-guidelines · checked 2026-10-18
• www.raeb.gov.rw/fileadmin/user_upload/RAEB/Publications/RAEB_Law/RAEB_LAW.pdf · checked 2026-10-18
• www.raeb.gov.rw/project/small-modular-reactor · checked 2026-10-18

Sources that could not be read (1):

• www.raeb.gov.rw/ · checked 2026-10-18 · not readable: no readable text