According to Professor Seth Kofi Debrah, Director of the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo’s approval of nuclear power as a component of the nation’s power generation mix shows that the nation is prepared to go nuclear.
In a statement on Wednesday, the President gave his approval for nuclear technology to be included in the nation’s mix of electricity generation. According to the statement, the choice was made by the collective worldwide commitment to guarantee sustainable power to accelerate industrialization and spur economic growth.
According to Prof. Debrah, the formal statement of permission made the nation the first in the sub-region to commit to a nuclear power program and sent a strong enough message to the world community and investors that the project was worthwhile for investment. Technically referred to as the National Position, the announcement, according to him, was one of the 19 most important infrastructural concerns under the program’s first phase, as per an (IAEA) directive.
It is compatible with the widely held belief that a secure supply of energy and the peaceful use of nuclear energy will benefit all people, hasten industrialization, and spur economic growth. This achievement, he added, “informs the international world that the country has done the necessary under phase one, which includes making a knowing commitment and making a formal declaration.”
“It gives the government influence over other nations in the sub-region, particularly given that there is a policy to make Ghana a power producing hub and deliver stable electricity to encourage economic growth,” Prof. Debrah applauded the administration for relocating the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO), the entity tasked with overseeing the coordination and implementation of the nuclear power program, to the presidency.
He claimed that because the GNPPO would be dealing with trade, the development of human resources, the production of energy, and regulations, a higher organization would be required to assure effective and efficient coordination and implementation. As mandated by the IAEA, Phase One activities have been completed by Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG), the established Owner/Operator of Ghana’s proposed nuclear power plant(s).
By the end of 2022, the preferred site, the technology Ghana has chosen, and the chosen vendor/strategic partner for the project will all have been announced publicly. This is thanks to the remarkable progress the program has achieved in Phase 2 of the program.
Ghana decided to incorporate nuclear power in its energy mix, which also includes solar, hydropower, and thermal energy, to promote sustainable development, clean, dependable, and safe power, as well as a safe and seamless transition to a new energy source.
According to the government, the installation of nuclear energy in Ghana is also consistent with the nation’s Green Energy Solutions pledges and the medium, to a long-term strategy of the government to actualize industrialization and socioeconomic development within the West African sub-region.
After 2025, according to energy experts, the nation’s baseload supply sites, Akosombo and Kpong Hydropower Plants, whose current capacity is to meet 32% of the nation’s electricity demand, will have a capacity of only about 25%.
