Media Wire Express Correspondent
Ghana will select by December a company to build its first nuclear power plant from contenders including France’s EDF, US-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group, and China National Nuclear Corporation, an energy ministry official said.
South Korea’s Kepco, subsidiary, and Russia’s Rosatom compete for contract over next decade, according to Robert Sogbadji, deputy director for nuclear and alternative energy.
“Cabinet will approve the final choice. It can be one vendor or two nations; it will depend on the financial model and the technical details,” Sogbadji told Reuters .
Ghana started considering building a nuclear power plant in the 1960s but the process was derailed by a coup. It revived the plan in 2006 with the International Atomic Energy Association’s assistance, following a devastating power crisis that year.
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Sogbadji mentioned 16 countries and companies responded to the government’s vendor request, but a technical team led by the energy ministry narrowed it down to five nations.
Ghana, along with other African nations, considers nuclear power to address electricity shortages for over 600 million people without access. Burkina Faso and Uganda have signed deals with Russia and China for their inaugural nuclear plants.
Kenya,Morocco and Namibia are also incorporating nuclear energy.
South Africa, home to Africa’s sole nuclear plant, plans to boost its power supply by 2,500 megawatts from nuclear amidst severe shortages.
Ghana aims to introduce 1,000 megawatts of nuclear power into its energy mix by 2034 as it grapples with power deficits.
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With 5,454 MW of installed capacity and 4,483 MW available, Ghana is striving to use nuclear power as a base load for industrialization and to boost energy exports to neighboring countries through the West Africa Power Pool.
The government has secured a site capable of hosting up to five reactors and prefers a “build, own, operate, and transfer” model with local equity participation.
The West African country is among several nations on the continent looking to nuclear power as a low carbon source of energy as they seek to broaden access to electricity.
Ghana is turning to nuclear power to complement its existing mix of hydro, thermal and renewable energy. The winner of the ongoing bidding process will be announced at the end of 2024 by outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo, Stephen Yamoah, executive director of Nuclear Power Ghana, which is supervising the project, told Semafor Africa.
Source: Reuters
