The Ghana Atomic Energy Agency says the country is
making headway in its nuclear power programme to help address the power
generation deficit.
Director
General of the Commission, Professor Benjamin Nyarko, says inspite of the programme’s
benefits to the economy, there is no rush to compromise on safety standards.
“Nuclear is a long journey programme and the construction
of the nuclear power plant itself takes between three and five years like any
other plant like hydro but the development of the infrastructure which involves
about 19 issues to address is what takes time,” he noted.
Ghana has been striving to meet the requirements since
2013, which includes adhering to international safety standards, especially in
the management of radioactive waste.
The country’s roadmap with the International Atomic Energy
Agency is to get a nuclear power plant as part of the energy mix by 2029.
Prof. Nyarko says the plan is on course to get the
first nuclear power plant running in the next 13 years.
“If we double up and move faster, the time will be
shorter than that because Ghana has a lot of experience in this area,” he
noted.
Interest in nuclear energy is growing globally because
it is clean and green with long term economic benefits.
African
economies, suffering from electricity generation deficits to meet industrial
and domestic demands, are exploring the nuclear option.
Ghana
passed the Nuclear Regulatory Bill last year with the objective to provide the
framework for the beneficial and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Russia is among other major international partners in the
country’s nuclear infrastructural development.
The
Ghana Atomic Energy Commission is already partnering Russia’s State Atomic
Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) to construct two nuclear power plants to produce 2,400
megawatts of electricity in Ghana.
Officials
from the Commission and the Ministry of Power took part in the ATOMEXPO 2016 in
Moscow, Russia, to explore opportunities and partnerships in going nuclear.
But
government’s recent attention to coal powered sources to the energy
mix could impact on
investments in nuclear energy to meet the set target.
There has been opposition to the coal
option described as the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
Prof. Nyarko believes the country stands to benefit
most from nuclear power though and advocates a good energy mix to ensure energy
security for Ghana.
“If we need about 20,000megawatts of electricity to
push our industries and economy, then we don’t have to rely on only thermal or
coal but we bring in all other energies that are available. But I think that
nuclear energy can add cheaper energy for industrialization than any other sources
apart from hydro and all our hydro resources are all gone,” he observed.
He also argued that nuclear energy offers the opportunity
to grow greener economies and for Ghana to conform to the new Paris Agreement
on climate change for countries to promote clean energy solutions.
Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh, reporting from Moscow, Russia
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