Representatives of the US Department of Energy, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) travelled to Accra in Ghana recently for the first US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit.
The three-day summit, which began on 30 October, covered topics including The Need For Nuclear Power, Nuclear Power As Catalyst for Economic Development and Local Industry Readiness For Nuclear Power.
EXIM president and chair, Reta Jo Lewis was in attendance to highlight the bank’s commitment to supporting US exporters in the nuclear energy sector looking to do business in Sub-Saharan Africa.
During the summit, she explained how EXIM financing can be a significant tool to advance nuclear energy projects, and that all of the bank’s products, including long-term financing, letters of interest, preliminary commitments and the Engineering Multiplier Programme, are available for the nuclear sector.
“Nuclear energy can play a key role in the global energy transition, and our agency is committed to building upon our strong work to support US exporters and advance critical nuclear energy projects around the world,” she said.
The US$550 billion Ghana Energy Transition and Investment Plan launched by President Nana Akufo-Addo on 21 September at the Global Africa Business Initiative event in New York envisages nuclear energy accounting for 10% of the country’s electricity production by 2060 under its net zero scenario, with 3GW of capacity installed by that date.
Ghana Energy Transition Plan
Source: GETIPGhana’s government is in the process of selecting the technology and choosing a vendor country to develop its first nuclear power plant, having put out a request for interest in 2021.
Vendors from the US, Russia, Canada and South Korea reportedly responded to the call and there is strong competition to win the contract.
US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer told the summit, “Nuclear energy development demands committed partners. The United States is your 100-year nuclear energy partner.”
The cost of developing Ghana’s first nuclear plant has been estimated at US$1.2 billion based on a 1,000MW facility, and a contract is expected to be signed sometime in 2024-5.
Ghana News Agency reported in September that Nsuban in the Western Region has been selected as the preferred location for the plant, with Obotan in the Central Region as a backup site. Detailed technical assessments are in the process of being completed for the two sites.
In October 2022, Japan and the US signed a strategic collaboration to support the deployment of small modular reactor (SMR) technology in Ghana, beginning with a feasibility study. The proposal envisages Ghana becoming a hub for SMR technology deployment in the broader Africa region.
Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa looking to develop nuclear power facilities include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria. South Africa is currently the only nation in the region with installed nuclear capacity.
Photo: US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit (Source: Office Of Nuclear Energy)
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US Courts Ghana Nuclear Opportunity
