Accra, Feb. 8, GNA – Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) has asked the Government to consider generation three plus nuclear reactor technology for the country’s first one gigawatt nuclear power plant expected to come on-stream by 2030.
It said nuclear reactors had gone through some transformation and that the generation three plus was safer, robust, easy to operate, and less vulnerable to operational upsets.
Generation three plus reactors also have reduced possibility of core melt accidents, resist radiological release, higher burn-up to use fuel more fully and efficiently, and reduce the amount of waste generated.
Dr Stephen Yamoah, Executive Director of NPG, told the Ghana News Agency that the technology being recommended was one of the key criteria considered during the assessment of vendor responses to the Request For Information (RFI) issued last year.
He said the evaluation report of the responses from the RFI, which took into consideration the Ghana situation site had been submitted to the Government for consideration and action, under the Vendor Selection Processes.
The NPG through the Ministry of Energy issued RFI to six vendor countries to seek technical, financial and contractual information from the vendor countries regarding the technology they intended to deploy for the building of nuclear power plant.
A total of 15 responses were received from vendor countries, including China, Russia, United States of America, South Korea, Canada and France.
Dr Yamoah said six of the responses received proposed for large nuclear reactor technology while nine made offers for small nuclear reactors.
He said the size of the reactors proposed by the vendor countries ranged from 700Megawatt (Mwe) to 1400MWe for Large Nuclear Reactors (LNR) and 50MWe to 300MWe for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
Dr Yamoah said the SMRs had shorter contraction periods, cost less, and consumed less fuel.
The Executive Director indicated that Ghana’s Nuclear Power Programme apart from generating cheap power for industries and homes would promote the country’s quest towards advancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) from Senior High Schools to the tertiary level.
“In the nuclear industries there are Scientists, Engineers, Physicists, Mathematicians, Chemists and other science related fields that work together. This will provide a good platform for STEM practical training in the country,” he said.
Dr Yamoah stated that the nuclear project, whether LNR or SMRs, would offer thousands of direct and indirect employment to advance the economic growth of the country.
He stated the phase one, which included pre-feasibility study, assessment of infrastructure, safety, security, and siting had been completed.
Dr Yamoah said currently, the programme was in its second phase, which entailed engaging vendors, further site assessment, issues of contracting, recruitment and training of staff, more feasibility study, and signing of contract.
Ghana in its quest to access affordable and stable power to industralise sustainably as well as to meet the global energy transition from fossil fuel to clean energy is seeking to include nuclear power to its energy mix.
Currently the country’s power supply sources are from hydroelectricity, thermal, natural gas and solar.
GNA