Todd Abrajano, President of the US nuclear industry council, tells The Africa Report that the US is counting on its long-standing cooperation with Ghana.
As the US challenges Russia and China to win over Africa for nuclear energy project partnerships, Ghana faces the tough task of choosing a vendor country to deliver its first nuclear power plant project.
At the first US-Africa nuclear energy summit in Accra representatives of the US Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) were clear about their expectation – getting the US selected as a partner for Ghana’s first nuclear power plant project due in 2030.
“Choosing the US industry offers advantages you can’t get from anyone else,” said Maria Korsnick, president of the US Nuclear Energy Institute. “The US industry will not seek to weaponise energy production or trap partners in a cycle of debts. We want real partnerships that lead to real energy independence and security.”
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Ghana has earmarked two sites for the nuclear project – Nsuban in the western region, and Obotan in the central region as an alternative site.
US-Russia race
Ahead of the summit, the US government committed $1.7m to the development of a Small Modular Reactors (SMR) simulator in Ghana to serve the region, matching up similar efforts by Russia’s state-run Rosatom that only recently sealed a nuclear power plant deal with neighbouring Burkina Faso.
Since 2021, when it put out a request for a vendor country, the West African country has received proposals from the US, Russia, China, France and South Korea.
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Ghana’s energy minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh is happy with the US technology but will not be emphatic on the direction Ghana will go.
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“We believe America has the best technology for us and hope that they are willing to share. The faces I’ve seen here and the diverse agencies give me the hope that America is serious about this partnership,” he said at the summit in Accra.
The US is promoting its SMRs which it touts as cost-effective and can generate up to 300MW of power.
Demand outstripping supply
With Ghana’s energy demand currently outstripping supply, Opoku Prempeh says Ghana is open to both SMR and large nuclear reactor technologies to help it meet its energy needs growing at an average of 10% per year.
The cost of developing Ghana’s first nuclear plant is estimated at $1.2bn based on a 1,000MW plant with a vendor due to be selected before the end of 2024.
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The nuclear power plant project is part of Ghana’s ambitious energy transition investment plan to raise $562bn in investments over the next five decades to decarbonise its energy sector.
Nuclear will account for 10% of the country’s electricity production by 2060 under the plan with a total installed capacity of 3GW at that time.
Long-standing cooperation
Todd Abrajano, President of the US Nuclear Industry Council, tells The Africa Reportthat the US is counting on its long-standing cooperation with Ghana to secure a partnership deal for the nuclear project.
“There is a decades-old partnership between the two countries in the energy space so it is a perfect fit to continue that in the nuclear. We are the most trustworthy partner that Ghana can cooperate with, in the nuclear energy space,” he adds.
“Whether it is microreactors, small modular reactors, or large gigawatt-scale reactors, we can bring all of that to the table for Ghana.”
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For Seth Kofi Debrah, director of the Ghana Nuclear Power Institute, selecting a vendor has been a difficult process because “almost everyone who has shown interest has what we want as a country. It is not just about the technical ability but also the political consideration – you need someone you can go the long haul with,” he tells The Africa Report.
The US will continue to enjoy great reception in Ghana over the cocoa-rich nation’s nuclear programme but that will not stop the Ghanaian government from expanding its scope.
“This meeting doesn’t mean that Ghana will stick with the US. Ghana has proposals from at least five different countries and looking at all of them,” says Nii Kwashie Allotey, the director general of Ghana’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
