Kenya is hosting this year’s US-Africa Nuclear Summit to take stock of the drive towards nuclear energy with the country particularly exploring how to raise Sh500 billion required to set up a plant.
Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) is set to use the four day summit, which will start on Tuesday, to state its plans in making the nuclear energy in the country a reality.
According to NuPEA CEO Justus Wabuyabo, Kenya is not in position to develop its nuclear plants without the help from the countries that have rolled out the use of nuclear energy.
“The main technology will be foreign because we don’t have nuclear in Kenya. We are likely to import the technology but that does not mean that everything will be from the outside.”
As the country makes entry efforts to the league of clean energy through nuclear energy, the industry is posing challenges to the Kenyan government since it is its first attempt.
The summit at Movenpick Hotel will present an opportunity for the country to discuss human resource, the development management in the sector and funding the nuclear plant, which is set to be built in Nanyuki.
“It is quite costly. The estimates that we have is that nuclear power plant of about 1000 megawatts will cost upwards of Sh500 billion. That is a lot of money and the question is how are we going to finance this mega project considering issues that are delving many African countries particularly like us.”
President William Ruto is expected to grace the summit, which will be attended by at least six ministers from African countries.
This will be the first summit for the Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi following his appointment as the CS to head the energy docket.
US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman will issue her remarks on the US plans in ensuring that the African continent is embracing and investing in nuclear energy.
As more countries embrace nuclear energy, once thought to be the preserve of the industrialized countries, more and more developing countries have joined the race to adopt nuclear power to improve energy supplies to meet growing demand.
As of now, South Africa is the only country in the continent with a fully operational nuclear power plant, while Egypt is in the final stages of commissioning one.
Kenya plans to start the process of building a plant in 2027, which is expected to take between five and ten years to complete.
“We hope to start the construction in 2027 and we will commission it in 2030 or 2034 that is ten years from now and then from 2034 is the time when it will start to operate for up to 80 and 100 years.”
The danger of nuclear plant is also expected to be addressed during the summit and how the communities around the nuclear plant will benefit from it.
“A nuclear accident can have far effects. We need to discuss the issue of safety and insecurity and we know that nuclear materials can be used for disruptive purposes….we have to think about how we secure nuclear materials from the point when they are being mined until the point of being used as nuclear fuel.”
The summit comes at the backdrop of United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) which recognized nuclear energy as one of the solutions to climate change.
