Ghana is working towards the construction of her first nuclear power plant by 2028.
The country had initially targeted to construct and operate her first nuclear power plant by 2030, per the original roadmap.
Dr Stephen Yamoah, the Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) told journalists in Accra on Friday, that although the country was not departing from the roadmap developed in 2015, the 2030 operationalisation target “is not technically feasible.”
He said the selection of a vendor and financing arrangements were key to determining the commencement of construction of the nuclear power plant.
“As a technical organisation, we consider that we can review the roadmap now. However, the longer it takes us to have our agreement with the vendor and the financing, the further away it would go,” Dr Yamoah said.
“I am certain that within the next three or four years, we should begin to start construction,” he added.
Ghana is racing to add nuclear power to her energy mix to support industrialisation and boost socio-economic development.
The country has already settled on a preferred site at Nsuban in the Western Region and a backup site at Obotan in the Central Region.
The NPG is currently undertaking further studies and evaluation of the selected sites to secure Site Approval License from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the regulator.
The NPG on Friday welcomed a team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the country to review Ghana’s site selection process as part of the Nuclear Power Programme.
The five-member Site and External Events Design Review Service (SEED) Review Mission will among others assess Ghana’s conformity to national regulations for siting and design of nuclear installations per the IAEA Safety Standards.
Mr Kazuyuki Nagasawa, the Leader of the IAEA’s SEED Review Team, said the mission would provide a summary report on the review of Ghana’s site selection process within next week.
He said the Final Mission Report would be provided within two months and asked the Ghanaian team to cooperate with the Mission to make the exercise successful.
Professor Samuel B. Dampare, the Director-General of GAEC, told the review team that Ghana had fulfilled all obligations required for Phase 1 of the Nuclear Power Programme, including the 19 infrastructure issues, the establishment of relevant institutions, and the declaration of the Government’s commitment.
On the second Phase of the Programme, he said the selection of the preferred site was a key milestone, adding that the activity strictly followed the IAEA Safety Standards.
“The addition of nuclear power to our energy mix represents a great transformative opportunity for our diversification efforts to ensure energy security, industrial expansion, and drive environmental sustainability,” he said.
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