Ghana
is
considering
bids
from
five
companies
for
the
construction
of
what
would
be
its
first
nuclear
power
plant.
The
companies
are:
France’s
EDF,
US-based
NuScale
Power
and
Regnum
Technology
Group;
China
National
Nuclear
Corporation;
South
Korea’s
Kepco
and
its
subsidiary
Korea
Hydro
Nuclear
Power
Corporation;
and
Russia’s
Rosatom.
The
Conversation
Africa’s
Godfred
Akoto
Boafo
interviewed
Seth
Kofi
Debrah,
director,
Nuclear
Power
Institute,
Ghana
Atomic
Energy
Commission,
on
the
pros
and
cons
of
adding
nuclear
power
to
the
country’s
power
mix,
and
why
Ghana
needs
to
diversify
and
identify
new
energy
sources.
What
makes
the
nuclear
option
attractive
to
Ghana?
The
country’s
industrialisation
ambitions,
fuel
constraints,
limited
resources,
climate
conditions
and
international
commitments
to
climate
change
mitigation
are
among
the
factors
driving
Ghana
to
include
nuclear
power
in
the
energy
mix.
Nuclear
power
is
available
all
year
round,
making
it
reliable.
The
nuclear
power
plant
is
expected
to
operate
as
a
baseload
plant
(the
production
facility
used
to
meet
some
or
all
of
an
area’s
continuous
energy
demand),
with
a
capacity
factor
of
about
92%.
A
conventional
nuclear
power
plant
typically
operates
for
92%
of
a
calendar
year
as
compared
to
54%
for
natural
gas
power
plants,
24%
for
solar
and
34%
for
wind
power
plants.
Demand
for
electricity
is
growing
across
the
nation.
Currently,
84%
of
the
population
have
access
to
electricity
but
may
not
be
connected
to
the
electrical
grid.
This
means
the
power
is
available
in
their
area
but
they
may
be
unconnected
due
to
personal
circumstances.
Electricity
demand
is
expected
to
grow
rapidly
on
the
back
of
electrification
projects
planned
by
successive
governments,
like
the
rural
electrification
project
(which
aims
at
supplying
electricity
to
all
communities
with
a
population
of
500
or
greater)
and
industrialisation
initiatives
(such
as
developing
the
manufacturing,
alumina
and
iron
industries).
Another
reason
for
choosing
nuclear
power
is
that
Ghana
sees
it
as
a
way
of
supporting
its
industrial
ambitions
in
the
sub-region.
For
example,
Ghana
aims
to
become
a
net
exporter
of
electricity
in
the
region
through
the
West
African
Power
Pool,
a
specialised
agency
of
the
Economic
Community
of
West
African
States.
It
covers
14
of
the
15
Ecowas
countries
and
is
intended
to
supply
them
with
reliable
energy
at
a
competitive
cost.
According
to
the
World
Bank,
the
average
electrification
rate
in
west
Africa
is
about
42%,
which
means
that
almost
half
of
the
region’s
population
has
no
access
to
electricity.
Ghana
has
an
84%
electrification
rate.
Ghana
believes
nuclear
power
can
help
it
achieve
its
industrial
ambitions
while
fighting
climate
change.
As
a
signatory
to
the
Paris
Agreement,
Ghana
has
an
international
obligation
to
reduce
greenhouse
gas.
Nuclear
power
does
not
produce
any
of
the
greenhouse
gases.
Ghana’s
electricity
sector
is
dominated
by
thermal
plants
that
use
natural
gas
–
a
fossil
fuel.
Fossil
thermal
plants
make
up
64%
of
the
current
energy
mix.
This
is
an
over-dependence
on
a
single
fuel
source.
Natural
gas
has
competing
uses
in
different
sectors,
so
there
are
frequent
fuel
shortages.
And
the
price
of
natural
gas
is
set
by
international
markets,
which
leads
to
price
volatility.
Ghana
has
its
own
source
of
natural
gas.
But
these
reserves
are
expected
to
start
declining
by
2028.
How
dependable
is
the
country’s
current
energy
mix?
Ghana’s
current
energy
mix
is
made
up
of
1,584MW
installed
capacity
of
hydro,
3,758MW
of
thermal
power
plants
(mostly
powered
by
natural
gas)
and
112MW
of
solar
generation.
But
the
dependable
capacity
(the
total
amount
of
electricity
that
the
facility
can
produce
and
deliver
to
the
power
grid)
of
renewables
is
non-existent
since
the
source
of
their
power
generation
is
variable.
The
dependable
capacity
of
the
energy
mix
of
a
country
matters
a
great
deal.
The
energy
mix
must
have
strong
baseload
capacity
(the
minimum
amount
of
electric
power
needed
to
be
supplied
to
the
electrical
grid
at
any
given
time)
before
renewables
are
considered,
to
ensure
reliability.
No
industralised
nation
developed
its
economy
based
on
variable
generation
of
electricity.
They
needed
a
reliable
backbone
that
could
be
depended
on
at
all
times.
European
countries
used
natural
gas,
coal,
hydro
or
nuclear
as
their
baseload
capacity
and
added
on
variable
renewables.
If
Ghana
wants
to
exploit
its
natural
resources
and
become
an
industrial
giant,
it
needs
sustainable,
reliable
and
affordable
baseload
electricity.
That
can
be
found
in
a
source
like
nuclear.
What’s
the
government’s
case
for
nuclear?
Ghana
doesn’t
have
many
other
energy
options.
It
has
good
sources
of
hydro
but
most
have
already
been
exploited.
Potential
small
dams
are
being
affected
by
climate
change
or
variability
and
illegal
mining.
And
the
economic
justification
for
more
small
hydro
plants
is
in
doubt.
Ghana
started
its
nuclear
power
journey
as
far
back
as
the
early
1960s
but
the
idea
was
never
realised.
The
nuclear
power
programme
was
restarted
in
2007
under
former
president
John
Agyekum
Kufuor.
The
programme
has
followed
the
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency’s
three-phase
approach.
Ghana
is
now
at
phase
2:
vendor
selection
and
site
preparation.
The
plant,
which
is
expected
to
be
constructed
along
the
coast
of
the
country,
is
planned
to
come
online
in
early
2030.
Given
Ghana’s
financial
constraints,
is
nuclear
power
a
good
idea?
Nuclear
power
plants
have
proven
to
be
among
the
cheapest
sources
of
electricity
around
the
world.
Even
though
nuclear
has
a
huge
upfront
financial
burden,
its
long
lifespan
(over
60
years)
and
low
running
cost
makes
it
one
of
the
cheapest
baseload
sources
of
electricity.
Around
the
world,
advanced
countries
seek
financial
support
for
their
nuclear
projects.
There
are
various
models
to
finance
nuclear
power
plant
procurement,
including
the
option
of
a
public
private
partnership.
How
about
nuclear
waste
and
the
cost
of
dealing
with
it?
Ghana
already
operates
one
of
the
few
radioactive
waste
storage
facilities
in
Africa.
This
means
that
when
Ghana
builds
a
nuclear
power
plant
it
will
already
have
capacity
in
nuclear
waste
management.
Radioactive
waste
management,
which
deals
with
nuclear
waste,
is
an
issue
that
needs
to
be
addressed
in
the
early
stages
of
planning
a
nuclear
plant.
This
is
evident
in
the
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
milestone
approach
which
most
countries
follow
to
develop
a
nuclear
programme.
It
shows
all
the
19
infrastructure
issues
that
need
to
be
addressed
throughout
the
three-phased
approach.
It
is
the
only
power
plant
that
is
responsible
in
dealing
with
its
waste
after
its
lifetime.
In
effect,
it
is
the
only
power
plan
that
plans
and
pays
for
its
waste
management
during
operation
and
post
operation
with
dedicated
funds
for
waste
management.
The
costs
of
managing
nuclear
waste
and
the
nuclear
power
plant’s
decommissioning
at
the
end
of
its
operating
life
are
included
in
the
nuclear
power
plant
tariff.
This
is
a
safety
requirement
as
enshrined
in
the
International
Atomic
Energy
Agency
safety
standards.
Furthermore,
the
country
of
origin
has
strict
regulations
about
decommissioning
which
have
to
be
adhered
to
by
nuclear
power
plant
owners.
One
of
the
major
concerns
by
the
public
is
the
treatment
or
storage
of
the
high
level
spent
fuel
that
is
sometimes
referred
to
as
“waste”.
High
level
spent
fuel
is
the
fuel
that
has
been
used
up
through
irradiation.
These
used
fuels
usually
have
over
90%
usable
fuel
that
can
be
re-used
through
reprocessing.
–
By:
,
Professor,
School
of
Nuclear
and
Allied
Sciences,
University
of
Ghana.
He
is
Chief
Research
Scientific
Officer,
Ghana
Atomic
Energy
Commission.
This
article
is
a
republication
from
The
Conversation.
Read
original
article
here.