The United States and Russia are competing with China, France, and South Korea to build the first nuclear power plant in Ghana.
May 24, 2024
Ghana will choose a company by December to build its first nuclear power plant, with contenders including France’s EDF, U.S.-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group, and China National Nuclear Corporation, Reuters reported.
According to the outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo, Stephen Yamoah, executive director of Nuclear Power Ghana, which is supervising the project, 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.
Ghana laid out its current nuclear plans in 2015 with the expectation of having its first commercial nuclear power plant in 2030.
The current nuclear program took off in 2008 after a nationwide power crisis in 2006 and 2007. The plan then was to have a nuclear power plant by 2018, but that target was revised due to a lack of political and financial commitment from successive governments. “Having an interest in pursuing a nuclear program is one thing, and understanding what it takes to pursue a nuclear program is another thing,” said Yamoah.
Electricity demand is estimated to have grown by 7%–10% a year since 2010, according to Ghana’s energy ministry. As of 2020, 85% of the population had access to electricity.
Ghana is among several West African nations turning to nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source to expand access to electricity on a continent where over 600 million people still lack it.
Burkina Faso and Uganda have both signed agreements with Russia and China to construct their first nuclear power plants, while Kenya, Morocco, and Namibia are also working to integrate nuclear energy into their power grids.
South Africa, which operates the continent’s only nuclear plant, is planning to add 2,500 megawatts (MW) of power from nuclear energy to address severe power shortages.
