Nuclear power is gaining popularity among African countries. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Ghana is Considering bids from five companies to build its first nuclear power plant. The companies are: of France EDFbased in the USA NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group; China National Nuclear Corporation; Kepco of South Korea and its subsidiary Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Corporation; and Rosatom of Russia. Godfred Akoto Boafo of The Conversation Africa interviewed Seth Coffey Debradirector, Nuclear Energy Institute, Atomic Energy Commission of Ghanaon the pros and cons of adding nuclear power to the country’s energy mix and why Ghana needs to diversify and identify new sources of energy.
What makes the nuclear option attractive to Ghana?
The country’s industrialization ambitions, fuel constraints, limited resources, climatic conditions and international commitments to mitigate climate change are among the factors driving Ghana to include nuclear power in the energy mix.
Nuclear power is available year-round, making it reliable. The nuclear plant is expected to operate as a base load unit (the generation unit used to cover part or all of an area’s continuous energy demand), with a capacity factor of around 92%. Usually a conventional nuclear power plant operates for 92% of a calendar year compared to 54% for natural gas power plants, 24% for solar and 34% for wind farms.
The demand for electricity is increasing across the country. Currently, 84% of the population they have access to electricity, but they are not allowed to connect to the electricity grid. This means that power is available in their area, but they may not be connected due to personal circumstances.
Demand for electricity is expected to grow rapidly on the back of electrification projects planned by successive governments, such as rural electrification project (which aims to provide electricity to all communities with a population of 500 or more) and industrialization initiatives (such as the development of manufacturing, alumina and iron industries).
Another reason for choosing nuclear power is that Ghana sees it as a way to support its industrial ambitions in the sub-region.
For example, Ghana aims to become a net exporter of electricity in the region through West African Power Pool, a specialized service of the Economic Community of West African States. It covers 14 of the 15 Ecowas countries and is intended to provide them with reliable energy at a competitive cost.
According to the World Bank, the average electrification rate in West Africa is about 42%, which means that almost half of the population of the region does not have access to electricity. Ghana has an electrification rate of 84%.
Ghana believes nuclear power can help it achieve its industrial ambitions while combating climate change.
Like which has signed the Paris Agreement, Ghana has an international obligation to reduce greenhouse gases. Nuclear power does not produce any of the greenhouse gases.
Ghana’s electricity sector is dominated by thermal plants that use natural gas — a fossil fuel. Fossil thermal plants make up 64% of the current energy mix. This is an over-reliance on a single fuel source. Natural gas has competing uses in various sectors, so there are frequent fuel shortages. And the price of natural gas is determined by international markets, which leads to price volatility.
Ghana has its own source of natural gas. But these reserves are expected to start decreasing until 2028.
How reliable is the country’s current energy mix?
Ghana’s current energy mix consists of 1,584 MW of installed capacity of hydroelectricity, 3,758 MW of thermal power plants (mostly gas powered) and 112 MW of solar production. But the reliable capacity (the total amount of electricity that the installation can produce and deliver to the electricity grid) of renewable energy sources is non-existent, as their source of production is variable.
The reliable capacity of a country’s energy mix is of great importance. The energy mix must have strong baseload capacity (the minimum amount of electricity needed to supply the grid at any time) before renewables are considered, to ensure reliability.
No industrialized nation developed its economy based on variable electricity generation. They needed a reliable backbone that we could rely on at all times. European countries used natural gas, coal, hydroelectric or nuclear power as base load and added the variable renewable energy sources.
If Ghana is to exploit its natural resources and become an industrial giant, it needs sustainable, reliable and affordable base electricity. This can be found in a source such as nuclear.
What is the government’s case for nuclear?
Ghana does not have many other energy options. It has good sources of hydroelectric power, but most of it has already been tapped.
Potentially small dams are affected by climate change or variability and illegal mining. And the economic justification for more small hydro is dubious.
Ghana started its nuclear energy journey in the early 1960s, but the idea never materialized. The nuclear power program was restart in 2007 under former president John Agyekum Kufuor. The program followed that of the International Atomic Energy Agency three-phase approach. Ghana is now in phase 2: supplier selection and site preparation.
The plant, which is expected to be built along the country’s coast, is planned to be operational in the early 2030s.
Given Ghana’s economic constraints, is nuclear power a good idea?
Nuclear power plants have been shown to be among the cheaper sources electricity around the world. Although nuclear power has a huge initial financial burden, its long lifetime (over 60 years) and low operating costs make it one of the cheapest sources of baseload electricity.
All over the world, advanced countries seek financial support for their nuclear projects. There are several models for financing the procurement of nuclear power plants, including the choice of a public-private partnership.
How about nuclear waste and the cost of dealing with it?
Ghana already operates one of the few radioactive waste storage facilities in Africa. This means that when Ghana builds a nuclear power plant it will already have nuclear waste management capacity.
Radioactive waste management, which deals with nuclear waste, is an issue that must be addressed in the early stages of planning a nuclear power plant. This is evident in International Atomic Energy Agency milestone approach followed by most countries for the development of a nuclear program. It shows all 19 infrastructure issues that must be addressed throughout the three-phase approach.
It is the only power station that is responsible for managing its end-of-life waste. In fact, it is the only power plan that plans and pays for its operational and post-operational waste management with dedicated waste management funds.
The costs of nuclear waste management and the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant at the end of its life are included in the tariff of the nuclear power plant. This is a security requirement as specified in International Atomic Energy Agency safety standards. In addition, the country of origin has strict decommissioning regulations that nuclear power plant owners must adhere to.
One of the major public concerns is the treatment or storage of high level spent fuel sometimes referred to as “waste”. Spent high-level fuel is fuel that has been used up through radiation. This spent fuel is usually over 90% usable fuel which can be reused through reprocessing.
This article is republished from The conversation with a Creative Commons license. Read it original article.
Reference: Q&A: Ghana plans first nuclear power plant — what’s behind the decision? (2024, July 10) retrieved July 10, 2024 by
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