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President Kufuor receives Nuclear
Power Committee report
Accra, Jan. 3, Ghanadot - In a report presented
to President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle, Osu, on
Thursday, the Nuclear Power Committee recommended that given
the political will and timely allocation of adequate
resources, Ghana could have a nuclear electricity generating
capacity within a short period.
Professor Adjei-Bekoe, heading the Power Committee trip to
the Castle, also presented a roadmap for adopting nuclear
power. He said the decision to acquire the technology
would be a natural progression in the country's
technological advancement.
The report projected a nuclear
electricity generating capacity for the country by the year
2018. With adequate resources and commitment, the Committee
said it could be shorter.
The Committee noted that there existed within the structures
and relationships of the current Ghana Atomic Energy
Commission (GAEC) some technological capabilities relevant
to the proposed program.
President Kufuor set up the Committee last year, during the
energy crisis that engulfed the nation, to look into the
possibility of expanding the country's electricity supply
through the adoption of nuclear power technology.
South Africa has the distinction of being the only country
in Africa that generates energy through nuclear power plant.
Professor Adjei-Bekoe said the School of Nuclear and Allied
Sciences established through the collaboration of the
University of Ghana and GAEC could be used to support the
requirements for capacity building.
The escalating price of petroleum products makes coal and
nuclear energy, the least cost options for electricity
generation and, therefore, the obvious path for expansion,
he said.
He said though Ghana has started exploiting its oilfields,
it would be still prudent, and economically sensible, to
develop the nuclear option since it happened to be currently
the least cost and environmentally friendly option available
for electricity generation. The oil can then be used
for transportation.
President Kufuor thanked the Committee for a comprehensive
and diligent job done and promised that the Government would
give serious consideration to the Report.
The country, he said, needed to blend its energy sources.
Exploring the possibility of using nuclear power for
electricity would, therefore, not stop the push with the
hydro-electricity power and thermal power generation.
He said the vision was to make sure that by 2015, Ghana
would have adequate energy sources for industrialization and
domestic use.
Source GNA
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