Page 4 - AfrElec Week 06 2023

AfrElec COMMENTARY AfrElec

Examining the risks of

Africa going nuclear

Africa is advancing nuclear power development but there

are warnings that this path is a risky one

AFRICA AFRICAN countries, like the rest of the world, China, which have already invested heavily in
have inevitably entered the energy transition. the region, are the ones behind it. Both have a
WHAT: Mounting international pressure to drastically vested interest in expanding their influence in
It is being argued that reduce the production of carbon dioxide (CO2) Africa, and they are pursuing it by funding and
nuclear power may not be is forcing African countries to look away from backing nuclear power.
the best choice for Africa. coal and into renewables and nuclear power gen- Nuclear generation is being made possible
eration. While it is clear to see that Africa needs a by funds that Russia has in its back pocket. For
WHY: solution for its energy needs, nuclear power may example, Egypt recently broke ground on its
Russia and China have not be the best choice. first nuclear power plant (NPP), which is being
a vested interest in South Africa’s Koeberg nuclear power station funded by Russia. The plant is likely to be fully
expanding their influence - own ed and operated by state-run power util- operational by 2030 and consist of four pressur-
in Africa. ity Eskom - is currently the only nuclear power ised water reactors. These reactors are believed
plant on the continent. However, at least seven to be Russian nuclear agency Rosatom’s top tech-
WHAT NEXT: African countries are at various stages in the nology. Moscow reportedly had a hand in lend-
Experts have warned that roll-out of nuclear power plants, with a majority ing Cairo $25bn for the project, which covered
the risks of going nuclear targeting 2030 as a start-date for generating elec- 85% of the cost.
should be considered. tricity from nuclear energy. “Egypt has joined the nuclear club,” said
There are several reasons for this interest, Rosatom’s director-general, Alexey Likhachov,
with one being the growing energy demand that during the launch. “The plant will be the larg-
Africa faces. There is such high energy demand est project of the Russian-Egyptian cooperation
that many places in Africa experience regular since the Aswan High Dam. Having its own
rolling power cuts, for instance in South Africa, nuclear energy industry has been a dream for the
where ‘load shedding’ have become the norm Egyptian people for more than half-a-century.”
over recent years. Thanks to Africa’s oil reserves, China also
wants in on these deals just as much as Russia,
Influence signing a framework agreement in 2015 to work
However, some energy analysts believe that with Kenya on an NPP. Two coastal sites in Kilifi
nuclear path for Africa presents certain risks. and Kwale counties have been identified to put
What makes it appealing is that Russia and up the country’s first such plant. The country’s

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