Kenya’s Nuclear Power Plant Ready by 2034; Tanzania Expresses Interest…
By Jaston Binala.
Russia and the United States of America are enticing Africans with benefits of nuclear power generation–citing job creation, economic benefits and ‘net-zero’ benefits. Kenya and Tanzania have expressed interest–but there could be a snag.
Concerns exist nuclear weapons and nuclear power generation share several common features– posing the mortal danger increase in nuclear power stations in the region could open the door to nuclear weapons.
The anti-nuclear weapons organization, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) warns: “There is always the danger that countries acquiring nuclear power technology may subvert its use to develop a nuclear weapons programme”.
The United States of America sponsored the so-called US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit on August 29 and August 30 at Mövenpick Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The US Department of Energy, Kenya Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of Kenya hosted the summit. US President Joe Biden recently labeled Kenya as America’s “Major Non-Nato Ally” in the region.
A major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to countries that have strategic working relationships with the U.S. Armed Forces, while not being members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The summit opened with the Kenya national anthem on August 29, followed by the East African Community anthem which asks God for help to make the people of East Africa peaceful to achieve their goals.
Alex Wachira, Principal Secretary in the Kenya Ministry of Energy and Petroleum told the Summit that country’s nuclear power program will ensure social-economic transformation.
“Kenya looks forward to technological breakthrough as nuclear energy players move from the drawing board to commercial reality and deliver projects –especially the small modular reactors,” Wachira said.
Kenya, through the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, is assured of the successful completion of the first nuclear power plant by the year 2034, as well as completion of the nuclear research reactor by the year 2030, he said.
The Special Assistant to the US President Joe Biden on Climate Change, Nana Menya Ayensu, addressed the summit. The US White House advisor described the African interest in nuclear energy as a way to create jobs, to build economies on the continent.
“This is about unlocking a new African nuclear engery industry,” Ayensu said. “The US is thrilled to be your partner in this.”
Also addressing the summit, the Tanzania Minister for Energy Doto Biteko said Tanzania “remains optimistic that nuclear energy will be a viable option in future”. The annual power demand in the region’s largest country is growing by 10-15% per annum. To deal with this challenge Tanzania intends to increase its power generation capacity from current levels to10,000 megawatts by 2030, Biteko said, adding that Tanzania is exploring various energy resources including nuclear.
Despite CND concerns there is a link between nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons, Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director at the Africa Division of Internations Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said “we are on the right trajectory in that African countries have shown interest and they are embarking on nuclear power programs”.
The IAEA official disclosed 12 African countries have shown interest in nuclear power generation. He did not identify the nations but Kenya has identified itself.
“We meet at a pivotal moment in the nuclear sector,” he said. “Policy makers and energy planners are looking to nuclear energy to combat climate change, to provide energy security, to put us on path to equitable economic and rapid transformation to net-zero,” he said. “Globally nuclear provides 10-11% of our electricity consumption. Africa uses only 0.5% of the world’s total. In fact South Africa is the only African country that uses nuclear energy.”
Nuclear weapons and nuclear power share several common features and there is a danger that having more nuclear power stations in the world could mean more nuclear weapons, according to CND. there is always the danger that countries acquiring nuclear power technology may subvert its use to develop a nuclear weapons programme.
The prime use of plutonium-239 and uranium-235, and the reason they were produced in the first place, is to make nuclear weapons. The connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons have always been very close and are largely kept secret. Most governments take great pains to keep their connections well hidden.
The civil nuclear power industry grew out of the atomic bomb programme in the 1940s and the 1950s. In Britain, the civil nuclear power programme was deliberately used as a cover for military activities. The UK’s first nuclear power stations were built primarily to provide fissile material for nuclear weapons during the Cold War.
Some radioactive materials (such as plutonium-239 and uranium-235) spontaneously fission in the right configuration. Their nuclei split apart giving off very large amounts of energy. Inside a warhead, trillions of such fissions occur inside a small space within a fraction of a second, resulting in a massive explosion. Inside a nuclear reactor, the fissions are slower and more spread out, and the resulting heat is used to boil water, to make steam, to turn turbines which generate electricity.
Russia on the other hand is actively engaging African youth in matters nuclear. The Russian state owned Rosatom State Corporation–a corporation headquartered in Moscow which specializes in nuclear energy has been engaging with African youth to create interest in the field of nuclear power.
Rosatom said in a statement this past August of 2024, twenty gifted African boys and girls visited Moscow city and “the world’s first nuclear power plant (Obninsk NPP) launched on June 26, 1954. The journey to Moscow for the 20 young people was awarded to those who performed well in a video production competition related to nuclear energy. The young individuals from across Africa had emerged winners in Rosatom’s Atoms Empowering Africa competition, the statement said.
They visited Moscow and Obninsk, the first science city in Russia, and a large scientific and technical cluster. At Obninsk the youth observed a decommissioned nuclear reactor shut down on April 29, 2002 without incident. The last nuclear fuel assembly there was unloaded from the reactor in September 2002. Obninsk is currently just a place of attraction, brimming with nuclear events.
On June 26, 2024, a series of ceremonial events took place in Obninsk (Kaluga region) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of “the world’s First NPP” and as part of the International Youth Nuclear Forum Obninsk–an annual educational event for students, graduate students, young scientists and atomists focused on future nuclear technologies including new materials and energy systems.
The transformative trip for the 20 young people, organised by ROSATOM, was part of the initiative aimed at fostering curiosity and enthusiasm for science and technology among African youth, Rosaton said. The competition in this round challenged participants to create captivating videos on the topic “Benefits of Nuclear Energy in Africa”.
This year’s winners hailed from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt, Sudan, demonstrating exceptional creativity and dedication in showcasing the potential of nuclear energy on the African continent. Since its inception in 2015, Rosatom’s Atoms Empowering Africa competition has been a driving force in empowering young individuals to delve into the realm of nuclear energy.
“We toured the Rosatom Technical Academy and received a first-hand tour of Russia’s first Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). It was truly a privilege to witness the behind-the-scenes operation of an NPP and to see the amount of effort channeled into operational safety and security at the NPPs. But more than that, it was a lovely drive through the beautiful city of Moscow”, Munachimso Oguine, a young participant from Nigeria stated.
“This trip has been a life-changing experience for me. Visiting the
birthplace of the nuclear industry in Obninsk and seeing the real-world applications of nuclear technology has broadened my understanding and fueled my aspirations to contribute to Africa’s energy future”, said Yasmin Ehab from Egypt.
“It is very insightful to see everything, starting from history, because it leads you right through where it started in terms of nuclear energy and its application across the world, and it brings you to what it is today. I am grateful for the opportunity to see this; I definitely have a little something to take with me back home”, Kamogelo Sehoole, a participant from South Africa, mentioned.
“Sharing this experience with other winners from Africa, was the most exciting part as we get to exchange a lot from of life experiences and laughter”, said Ahmed Abdel Rahman from Sudan.
