Ghana is determined to diversify its energy mix with nuclear power to provide affordable, reliable and low-carbon electricity to support industrialisation and economic growth, the Minister of Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, has said.
He said the government was strengthening stakeholder engagement to ensure that citizens understood the benefits, risks and safety measures associated with nuclear energy.
Mr Jinapor explained that increasing electricity demand, the depletion of the country’s hydroelectric potential and the high cost of thermal generation had made it crucial for the country to explore other sources of affordable power such as nuclear energy.
He said the country’s peak electricity demand in the early years of the Akosombo Dam was about 300 megawatts, compared with more than 1,000 megawatts generated by the dam.
However, he said, the situation had changed, with the country’s peak demand now standing at about 4,500 megawatts.
He said the high cost of thermal generation had contributed to increased energy costs, making diversification of the energy mix necessary.
The energy minister was speaking at the opening of the third US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit in Accra last Wednesday, held on the theme: “Building and Sustaining Africa’s Nuclear Workforce”.
It was jointly organised by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), US Department of Energy, Regional Energy Training Centre and other partners.
Mr Jinapor said the successful deployment of nuclear energy required a broad range of professionals, including engineers, operators, regulators, technicians, welders, project managers and leaders.
He called for political leaders to be trained to understand nuclear energy and its implications for national development, and assured that the country would pursue its nuclear programme in accordance with the highest international standards on safety, security and non-proliferation.
He said Nuclear Power Ghana, GAEC and the Nuclear Regulatory Authority were advancing the country’s nuclear programme in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) milestone approach to integrate nuclear capacity into the electricity generation mix.
Training centre
The Chairman of the Governing Board of GAEC, Professor Abdulai Baba Salifu, said the country was positioning itself as a regional hub for nuclear workforce development with the establishment of the Regional Energy Training Centre, with support from the United States Department of Energy.
He said the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences at the University of Ghana had also been designated a regional centre for nuclear education.
Prof. Salifu said the country was advancing the second phase of its nuclear power programme under the IAEA’s milestone approach and was committed to contributing to nuclear expertise development across Africa.
He said Africa’s projected electricity demand, expected to rise by 47 per cent by 2030 and almost sevenfold by 2050, required countries to develop new and reliable sources of power.
He said plans were being made to integrate 1,000 megawatts of nuclear power into the country’s national grid by 2030.
Diaspora
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, called for greater involvement of the African diaspora in the continent’s nuclear development.
He said African scientists and professionals working abroad should be viewed as part of Africa’s human capital and advocated mechanisms to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and expertise between the diaspora and institutions on the continent.
Commitment
The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Office of Nuclear Energy at the United States Department of Energy, Dr Michael Goff, expressed the US’s commitment to strengthening nuclear cooperation with African countries and supporting the skilled workforce required for the continent’s nuclear ambitions.
He said the US-Ghana Regional Energy Training Centre was providing training and technical exchanges covering reactor technologies, operations, cybersecurity, quality assurance and spent fuel management.
He also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in nuclear energy, saying it could accelerate reactor design, improve licensing processes, transform manufacturing, construction and enhance the operation of nuclear facilities.
