IAEA submits report on Ghana’s Nuclear Power Programme
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has identified 19 issues for Ghana to address to ensure efficient roll-out of her Nuclear Power Programme. The 19 issues, which were highlighted in the Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) report conducted by the IAEA, included energy planning studies, identification of candidate sites for the nuclear energy plant and preliminary evaluation of the existing grid infrastructure.
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When these conditions are met, it will pave the way for the construction of a nuclear power plant to boost the country’s search for safe, reliable and affordable power supply to all citizens in the medium to long-term.
The report was presented to the Minister of Energy, Mr Boakye Agyarko, by the Deputy Director General of the IAEA, Mr Mikhail Chudakov, in Accra yesterday.
Key stakeholders such as the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), National Regulatory Authority (NRA), Energy Commission and the Ghana Nuclear Power Planning Organisation (GNPPO) witnessed the event.
IAEA support
Throwing more light on the report, Mr Chudakov underscored the need for the country to engage in broad stakeholder consultation to ensure that all barriers were removed to pave the way for a successful start of the project.
“Ghana has already completed or initiated a significant number of studies, but some studies on key issues remain to be completed. The IAEA will offer technical support in the key areas to ensure the successful implementation of the project, but the key responsibility rests with you as a country,” Mr Chudakov said.
He urged Ghana to, within three months, give feedback on the progress of work on the recommended areas and other measures to facilitate the timely roll-out of the project.
Mr Chudakov underscored that nuclear power was a proven technology that had the potential to provide a stable, clean and cost-effective electricity supply to boost local economies.
“Of course, nuclear power has unique characteristics that need special attention because people need to see that there are safety, security, and other technical safeguards, but these require strong regulatory frameworks and technically trained workforce,” he added.
No timeline
For his part, Mr Agyarko said a specific timeline could not be put on the completion of construction work on the nuclear energy plant, stressing that the government was committed to ensuring that due diligence was done to avoid mistakes.
“We have been given 19 technical areas to work on so we will be collaborating with technical groups and stakeholders to work on the modalities. It will not be prudent to put a timeline to it, but it will depend on our efforts, focusing on one step at a time,” he said.
Mr Agyarko said the inclusion of nuclear energy in the national energy mix was in line with the short to medium-term national development target to attain energy self-sufficiency.
“We have come to a point where we are stretched out in terms of availability of power because our hydro resources are almost exhausted, our thermal capacity is stretched to its limit and there is limitation in terms of crude and gas.
“If we are to keep pace with the growing demand for power for industrial and domestic uses in this country, it suffices then to say that we must examine all the possible sources of generation, including nuclear energy,” he said.
Assurance
The Director General of GAEC, Professor Benjamin J.B. Nyarko, was of the conviction that with strong government partnership and funding support, the project could be completed.
He gave an assurance that the GAEC had advanced collaboration with other stakeholders to identify potential sites for the nuclear plant, adding that “we are looking at the coastal areas.”