Russian state energy giant Rosatom is competing for a contract to build Ghana’s first nuclear power plant, according to Robert Sogbadji, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Energy in Accra.
According to Mr. Sogbadji, the government will select a company for the project from a list of five contenders that also includes France’s EDF, the US-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group, and the China National Nuclear Corporation.
The other company is South Korea’s Kepco and its subsidiary, Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Corporation.
Robert Sogbadji, who serves as Ghana’s deputy director for power in charge of nuclear and alternative energy, said, “The Cabinet will approve the final choice, which will depend on the financial model and the technical details.
The selection process, which is expected to be completed by December, is a significant step toward realizing the country’s long-held nuclear ambitions amid a widespread electricity crisis.
For power generation, Ghana relies largely on thermal plants, which account for 66% and 33% of hydropower, respectively. According to its energy regulator, the country has 5,454 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity and an available capacity of 4,710.
Ghana considered building a nuclear power plant in the 1960s under its first president, Kwame Nkrumah, but the plan was abandoned following a coup. The process was revived in 2006 with the assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency as the country grappled with devastating power outages.
Authorities have hailed nuclear power as a means to resolve supply issues and achieve Ghana’s industrialization goals and plan to add about 1,000 MW of nuclear power to its electricity mix by 2034.
Last October, Burkina Faso, one of the neighbouring countries to which Ghana exports power, signed a deal with Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant to diversify its energy sources.
Currently, Ghana is faced with power outages and has an installed capacity of 5,454 MW, of which 4,483 MW is available.
In March, the Sahel state and its ally Mali, along with Algeria, signed several agreements for developing cooperation in nuclear energy with the Russian energy firm on the sidelines of the 13th international ATOMEXPO exhibition and forum in Sochi. South Africa is also partnering with Rosatom on a floating nuclear power plant project to help alleviate the country’s protracted electricity crisis.