There is one nuclear reactor in Ghana, the Ghana Research Reactor, located in Accra. In operation since 1994, it is used for research, medical, and industrial purposes, but not for generating electricity.[1]

Purpose

The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission has been investigating the use of nuclear power and is a member of the International Nuclear Library Network.[2] The commission is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency to implement nuclear power in Ghana as part of a wider project, Sustainable Energy Development for Sub-Saharan Africa.[3] Ghana also has a Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences which trains undergraduate and postgraduate students in the techniques of nuclear science application in such areas as agriculture, medicine, and research.[4] Both of these organizations focus more on research and the one research reactor located in Ghana than on nuclear power.

The government of Ghana is committed to the development of nuclear power as an environmentally-friendly energy source, and as of 2020 is undertaking preparatory steps for nuclear energy generation. President John Agyekum Kufuor supported the future building of nuclear power plants, seeing it as part of a solution to the country's energy problems. He initiated a Nuclear Power Committee to study the issue. In 2011, the director of the National Nuclear Research Institute, Benjamin Nyarko, also said he believed nuclear power could prevent future energy crises. The ministry has created a section to co-ordinate activities on the nuclear power project.[5]

The Russian state-owned atomic energy corporation Rosatom signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' with Ghana in August 2015 to develop a 1200 Megawatt reactor in Ghana- however, as the total energy production in the country at the time was only 2831MW, significant upgrades to the nation's energy grid would be necessary to accommodate it.[6][7] In January 2017, the IAEA concluded an eight-day mission to Ghana to review the country's infrastructure and in preparation for selecting international vendors.[8] A follow-up mission in October 2019 concluded that significant progress had been made, and that Ghana would soon be ready to discuss its options with international partners.[9]

In 2022 government approved the plan to build a 1 GWe nuclear power plant with vendors invited from USA, Russia, Canada and South Korea and contract expected to be signed 2024-2026.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The 30 kW Research Reactor Facility in Ghana: Past, Present and Future Programmes" (PDF). International Atomic Energy Agency. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Participating libraries". International Atomic Energy Agency. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  3. ↑ Joe Okyere; Salome Donkor (1 November 2002). "Ghana to adopt nuclear power?". Graphic. Modern Ghana.
  4. ↑ Clark, Nancy L. "Electrical Power". A Country Study: Ghana (La Verle Berry, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (November 1994). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ↑ "Ghana Considering Nuclear Power Option". gov of Ghana. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "Thinking big? Ghana, small reactors, and nuclear power". Energy Research & Social Science. doi:10.1016/j.erss.2016.07.001.
  7. ↑ "Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Development: SWOT Analysis on Ghana's Nuclear Agenda". Energy Reports. doi:10.1016/j.egyr.2019.11.163.
  8. ↑ "IAEA Reviews Ghana's Nuclear Power Infrastructure Development". International Atomic Energy Agency. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "IAEA Reviews Progress of Ghana's Nuclear Infrastructure Development". International Atomic Energy Agency. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  10. ↑ "Presidential approval for nuclear in Ghana : Nuclear Policies - World Nuclear News". www.world-nuclear-news.org. Retrieved 2022-09-06.


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