Of nuclear power plants in Ghana: cost sharing, safety and related issues
In 2008, Ghana considered to opt for nuclear power as part of its energy production mix. Ghana has since then become a part of the market for nuclear power plants in Africa. It is known that several African countries have also considered this alternative to complement hydro and other energy production programs.
Nuclear power plants are highly capital intensive and very technical in construction and management. Furthermore, it is a major undertaking that requires a strong and continuing commitment from government and funding sources for its completion
Ghana will, invariably, need to depend on international experts’ advice to make the final decision on location, and other technicalities. These include seismological tests to see if the area is prone to earthquakes, rock and soil formation, proximity to population centers, among other things. Nuclear plants work with and produce radiation; therefore, it must be located far away from communities. In addition, we need to decide on the most appropriate facility beneficial to the interest of the nation; for example, if a light water reactor would be the best. The whole idea should be opened for detailed public debate.
Interestingly, Ghana (and ECOWAS) has not even explored up to 20 % (twenty percent) of its hydro-based energy potentials which are readily available for development. Ghana could make solar farms and its energy production a substantial part of renewable energy exploitation and use. In fact, it must be made a national policy.
The country's espousal and utilization of nuclear energy will begin when the Bill is passed and assented to by the President. A Bill on nuclear energy was first introduced in Parliament in 2008, but it did not see the light of day after the Mills' administration came into power in 2009. The urgent need for the country to go for nuclear energy stems from the acute shortage of power, which has culminated in the present load-shedding exercise embarked on by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Ghana will initially import uranium to produce its nuclear energy, though it has some quantity of unexploited uranium. It is known that the waste from nuclear power plants is toxic and cannot be easily stored or readily disposed of. Further, the nation will need to have in place the legal framework to manage effectively, its nuclear waste and related materials in the country; and to ensure that they do not fall into the wrong hands for weapons production or any other clandestine intentions.
For a country that cannot even keep its elevators in hospitals working; have not been able to keep traffic/signal lights and streets lights in working order; and given the country’s undisciplined culture of maintenance, waste disposal and supervision, the question of what to do with the nuclear waste comes into focus vis-à-vis management and enforcement of applicable laws to the letter.
It can be argued that nuclear energy might not be safe in Ghana at this time, given our poor maintenance background, and history of failure to keep our communities, rivers, and lakes free from common household waste and sewage, among other things.
It also brings to the fore a lot of discomfort; plus concerns on the nature of materials used in the generation of nuclear energy; and the long term effects of accidents that could occur in the plant or its reactors. Despite the fears and alarm-raising caused by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011, several power plants are under construction across the globe.
The many advantages of nuclear energy, especially its cost-effectiveness and efficiency, make the construction of power plants a convincing choice for many countries. According to experts, a kilogram of uranium, the raw material for the production of nuclear energy, generates 50,000 kilowatts hour (kWh) of electricity, as compared to crude oil and coal which produce 4kWh and 3kWh respectively. This also brings into question the size and kind of plant Ghana would build, if it should at all.
The committee to explore nuclear energy and its use in Ghana must come clear in terms of economic assessment and financing; regulatory; legal; and the human resource development for continuing management of such a facility, safety guidelines, location, and education of the citizens on this form of energy as opposed to other renewable forms; disposal and storage of nuclear waste; and the risk associated with managing the waste. Alternatively, could the nation rather accelerate a massive hydro and solar energy generation program instead of nuclear? Germany is taking this latter route. Ghana (and ECOWAS) can do so too...
ECOWAS COOPERATION
Nigeria has decided to adopt nuclear power to supplement its current unstable supply of electricity while other African countries are considering the nuclear power option. The then newly appointed head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Nigeria a few years ago. There were discussions on nuclear safety; and international guidelines and their enforcement, among other things...Why not all ECOWAS (or African countries) join forces and resources, and build solar farms and hydro plants on all the major rivers across West Africa, for example, and share in the power generated?
The cost of construction of nuclear plants is huge and remains a challenge. It will be prudent for Ghana and Nigeria, among others, to make such a project an ECOWAS one. In that, the plant could be built to supply energy to several countries. For example, Ghana, Togo, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Niger, and Benin could join and have a Nuclear Energy Production and Distribution Commission that will work on this one large project. The costs as well as the energy supplied would be shared among member-countries.
It is not farfetched to say that there is a high probability that a nuclear power plant in Ghana or any other small ECOWAS nation might supply much more energy than the nation needs. Hence, it might not be cost-effective for one small country to undertake such an expensive venture.
Further, plants can be designed to produce energy large enough to meet the needs of the populations of a group of neighboring countries. Conceivably, it could be more economical and environmentally friendlier, to share in such a project than to build small plants in different neighboring countries.
Additionally, Ghana has earthquake zones that could make it unhealthy to locate one in this country. Perhaps an ECOWAS-wide Commission can locate one in the flat plains of Burkina Faso, Niger, or Northern Ivory Coast to serve the many nations concerned. Other ECOWAS nations could collaborate and have such shared nuclear facilities, since some countries currently share hydro-energy through distribution lines already in place.
It must be reiterated that ECOWAS countries have not even exploited half of the rivers and hydroelectric or solar options available to the sub-region. Why nuclear energy with its attendant high costs and risks?
In any case, the media is a key stakeholder in the nuclear industry. The challenge is for the Ghanaian media to take the mantle of disseminating the correct information to the larger population; and in all the major local languages. The involvement of the media in public education is highly important to the success of a Nuclear Power Generation Program in Ghana.
Written by J. Nii Sackey Quarcoopome
ninqua3@yahoo.com
P. O. Box GP 13549
Accra