Page 9 - AfrElec Week 12 2023

AfrElec NUCLEAR AfrElec

Weak grid adds to obstacles facing

Kenya’s nuclear ambitions

KENYA KENYA’S plan to build a $5bn nuclear power conceived in 2012, the target was to have the
plant has run into more obstacles with a new plant in 2027, but now the target date has been
study showing the existing national grid lacks pushed to 2038.
the capacity to effectively integrate such a facility. Kenya’s current electricity capacity stands at
A Strategic Environmental and Social Assess- 2,600 MW with supply being sourced primar-
ment (SESA) study reckons that Kenya must ily from hydro and geothermal sources. The
prioritise the upgrade of current power infra- proposed plant is being marketed as critical for
structures if it intends to proceed with plans for meeting growing power needs.
a 1,000 MW nuclear plant. According to the SESA study, Kenya must
The national grid, according to the study, also first prioritise the upgrade of the current
lacks the necessary safety safeguards required national grid in terms of building new spinning Kenya must first
for nuclear plants under International Atomic reserves, transmission lines and interconnect prioritise the
Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines. equipment to avoid challenges like off-peak
The SESA study was carried out by the electricity demand being too low to operate the upgrade of the
Nuclear Power and Energy Agency in collabo- nuclear plant at constant full power (baseload
ration with the National Environment Manage- mode). current national
ment Authority and the SGS consortium. This is based on the fact that the required
“While Kenya has and is already expanding national grid must provide enough reserve gen- grid.
its electric grid system, it may require significant erating capacity to ensure grid stability during
enhancement/upgrading to be suitable for the the nuclear plant’s planned outages for refuelling
connection of a nuclear power plant,” Business and maintenance.
Daily quotes the assessment report as saying. “Any unexpected sudden disconnection of
“Interfacing nuclear power plants with existing the nuclear power plant from an otherwise sta-
grids require complex engineering.” ble electric grid could trigger a severe imbalance
The condition that Kenya must invest in between power generation and consumption,
upgrading the existing national grid to inter- causing a sudden reduction in grid frequency
face with nuclear power adds another twist to and voltage,” states the assessment.
the country’s bumpy road towards building a “This could even cascade into the collapse of
nuclear plant. the grid if additional power sources are not con-
When the idea of a nuclear plant was nected to the grid in time.”™

Week 12 22•March•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P9