The United States and Russia are fiercely competing with China, France, and South Korea to get the nod to construct Ghana’s first nuclear power plant.
Ghana is among several countries on the continent that are turning to nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source. It also seeks to consolidate its current energy sources of hydro, thermal, and renewable to widen its access to electricity.
Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya have also announced their plans to turn to nuclear power in the future.
Outgoing President, Nana Akufo-Addo is expected to disclose the winner of the bidding process by the end of the year. The winner of the ongoing bidding process will be announced at the end of 2024 by outgoing president Nana Akufo-Addo,
Stephen Yamoah, Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana, which is supervising the project, said projections to have the plant running by 2030 would be missed if a vendor is not appointed soon.
He said construction is expected to take 60 months and begin in 2026.
Ghana projects that nuclear energy will eventually account for almost 40% of its power source within the next 40 years.
South Africa has the continent’s only nuclear power plant. Electricity demand is estimated to have grown by almost 10% over the last decade, according to Ghana’s energy ministry. As of 2020, 85% of the population had access to electricity.