Officials with Kenya’s Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) said the country is on track to start construction on its first nuclear power plant by 2027. The group at a parliamentary hearing this month said the facility would begin generating power by 2034. Kenya’s move is the latest by an African nation as more countries on the continent consider building nuclear power stations to supply electricity amid burgeoning demand for power. Rwanda last year signed a deal with Canada’s Dual Fluid Energy for a test reactor that would use liquid fuel and lead coolant, resulting in less radioactive waste, the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board said in a statement at that time. Officials said the country has a goal of at least 1 GW of nuclear power generation by 2031. Winnie Ndubai, NuPEA’s director of strategy and planning, told Kenya’s Senate Energy Committee that two coastal locations are being considered as potential sites. Local media have reported that the proposed plant would be built in Kilifi County, a region known for its beaches and dense mangrove forests, and one of the country’s top tourist destinations. Ndubai said officials are still working on a regulatory framework for nuclear power in the country.
Koeberg remains South Africa’s only nuclear power station. Its two pressurized water reactors produce a total capacity of 1,860MW, representing about 5% of electricity generated by state-owned utility Eskom. Construction of the Koeberg nuclear plant began in 1976, with Unit 1 synchronized to the grid on April 4, 1984, and Unit 2 on July 25, 1985. The plant is at Duynefontein, 27 kilometers north of Cape Town. Courtesy: Eskom
Koeberg remains South Africa’s only nuclear power station. Its two pressurized water reactors produce a total capacity of 1,860MW. The plant is at Duynefontein, about 17 miles north of Cape Town. Courtesy: Eskom The 1,860-MW Koeberg plant near Cape Town in South Africa is the only operating nuclear power plant on the African continent. Russia’s state-owned Rosatom nuclear group is building the four-unit El Dabaa power station in Egypt, with the first of four VVER-1200 reactors expected to enter operation in 2026. Government officials in Uganda last week said that country is pursuing plans to build an 8.4 GW nuclear power station in the eastern Buyende District. The country said it is working on a nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia. South Korean energy companies also have said they want to export their technology to Africa.
Kenyan officials have said the country needs nuclear power is essential to meet its long-term energy needs. The Ministry of Energy has estimated that power demand in Kenya could increase 20-fold by mid-century due to rapid industrial development. The country currently generates about 90% of its electricity from renewable resources, including geothermal, hydro, wind and solar. Local media earlier this year said the nuclear power plant would be a 1,000-MW facility that would cost about 500 billion Kenyan shillings ($3.7 billion). Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in August of this year said a research reactor would be commissioned by the early 2030s. “Kenya is committed to leading in clean energy. Kenya is focused on advancing nuclear technology as part of Kenya’s sustainable energy strategy,” Mudavadi said in a statement. Questions remain about the viability of nuclear power in Kenya because the government has yet to release detailed plans for a power station. Officials also have not announced a contractor for the project. Some groups, including Greenpeace, have said a nuclear power plant should not be built, urging more investment in renewable energy resources such as solar and wind. The Kenya Anti-Nuclear Alliance in a statement earlier this year said, “Instead of pursuing a nuclear program that puts the lives and livelihoods of our people at risk, we urge the government to invest in renewable energy sources that are safer, cleaner, and more sustainable.” Kenya, along with Nigeria, joined the “Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy” at the recent COP29 United Nations climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The strategy is a pledge to increase global nuclear power capacity by 300% by 2050. Ghana and Morocco, two other African nations, signed the declaration upon its launch last year. —Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
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