Page 87 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 13

Innovate Afrika

and infrastructure (Sustainable Devel-
opment Goal 9). You cannot achieve one
without the other.

NUCLEAR AFRICA
At the historic FOCAC meeting in
2018, China committed to assisting
African countries in industrializ- Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant, the rock of South Africa`s industrialization.Koeberg
ing their economies with the Belt was designed by the French, built by South Africans in the 1980s. It has its own
and Road Initiative. At the same water de-salination plants and is designed to be earthquake proof.
time Russia showed its willingness
to power African industrialization
through the expansion of nuclear The urgent need for nuclear tech- (GAEC) called on the International
energy. nology to be adopted or, as in the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
According to the IAEA ( Interna- case of South Africa, expanded to conduct Phase 1 of a feasability
tional Atomic Energy Agency) 12 upon, is discussed in THIS article by study. This phase has been passed
countries, nearly one third of the David Cherry and Phillip Tsokoli- and Ghana is now on Phase 2.
African states, have approached bane, titled: `South Africa : Nuclear
them recently to request feasability Power or Bust`. Ghana has operated a 30kW nuclear
studies, namely, Ghana, Egypt, Mo- research reactor for more than two
rocco, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, GHANA decades.
Algeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia Nii Allotey, former Director, Nucle- There are 12 research reactors in
and Rwanda. ar Power Institute, Ghana Atomic Africa, situated in Algeria, Egypt,
The World Nuclear Association Energy Commission, said : Libya, DRC, Morocco, Nigeria and
report that in addition to those 12 South Africa. South Africa, with
countries Libya, Senegal, Tanzania, “Energy is the backbone of any its emminent role in the world`s
Namibia and Ethiopia have ex- strong development. And where do nuclear arena, plays a critical part in
pressed interest in starting nuclear we get energy from? We have hydro, research and technology world-wide.
power programmes. thermal, fossil fuels, and we have Nuclear power as a necessity for
local gas—but these are dwindling. Ghana`s industrialization is dis-
Hydropower has its drawbacks. It is They are limited; fossil fuels could cussed in an article by Lawrence
dependant on rainfall and potentially run out by 2030. And, the prices are Freeman titled ` Nuclear Energy in
effected by earthquakes.Transmis- volatile.” Africa – Lessons from Ghana`.
sion distance is a problem in that the
dams are usually situated far from National electrification, with each KENYA
cities.Electric current loses its power household having access to elec- Despite having been advised oth-
over distance. Hydro power cannot tricity, was a priority for Ghana`s erwise by the foremost European
be a reliable producer of a national first visionary president, Kwame promoter of renewable energy,
base load.The biggest drawback of Nkrumah, who started the Kwaben- Germany, Kenya is to go ahead
hydropower is that it is not the most ya Nuclear Reactor Project in 1961 with construction of its first nuclear
efficient current form of technolo- which remained unsupported. Nkru- energy reactor in Tana River which
gy.In terms of energy- flux density it mah also initiated the Volta Dam will be operational by 2027. It is set
is inferior to nuclear power.For Af- project for hydropower. Ghana has to achieve capacity of 4,000 MW by
rican nations, nuclear power means a much higher than average rate 2035.
energy sovereignty and the cheapest of electification which was 85% in The plant will be built near the coast
route to elliminating poverty with 2019. Sub-Saharan Africa has the on Kenya`s longest river, Tana Riv-
fully industrialized economies. lowest rate with 57% of the popula- er.It will be financed under a BOT (
tion without access to electricity. build, operate and transfer) system.

South Africa is currently the only Kenyan economists are planning for
nuclear country in Africa but this is The administration of President the future needs of electricity supply
about to change as it is recognized Akufo-Addo has put nuclear back and demand. President Uhuru
that nuclear energy is the cheapest on the agenda.In 2015 the Gha- Kenyatta implemented the Big Four
and most reliable source of power. na Atomic Energy Commission Action Plan in 2017. Instead of

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