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On Monday, October 16, 2023, the State Atomic Energy Corporation (ROSATOM) of Russia met with Ghana’s Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, as part of the 2023 Africa Energy Week, which was taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.
The purpose of the meeting, which was organized by ROSATOM, was to forward the conversation on working with Ghana on nuclear energy issues.
Ryan Collyer, the head of the delegation and the CEO of ROSATOM with oversight responsibility for Central and Southern Africa, spoke during the meeting and referred to an initial Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Ghana and Rosatom on nuclear cooperation that was signed in 2015 and covers, among other things, the design and construction of nuclear power plants for the production of electricity and water desalination, nuclear research reactors, and atomic particle accelerators.
He also discussed their recent proposal to build a nuclear power plant in Ghana, about which the most recent update was submitted to Nuclear Power Ghana on Friday, October 13, 2023.
According to him, ROSATOM has started building a fleet of floating nuclear power plants as part of their ambitions to provide Ghana’s grid with electricity under a Power Purchase Agreement.The CEO stated, “We are strongly dedicated to this initiative in Ghana and we want to make sure that this partnership succeeds.
He continued “We are also very committed to our Floating Nuclear Power Plant efforts, all in the bid to strengthening the co-operation with Ghana” Mr. Collyer further spoke about the advantages of Small Modular Reactor in parallel for industry, drawing similarities to what pertains in Russia.
ROSATOM asked the Minister to assist them find a Ghanaian industry partner for a long-term agreement in this directionOn his part, the Energy Minister recounted Ghana’s long-standing relations with Russia, citing the fact that Ghana’s quest for oil discovery was first led by Russians.
He said the Government of Ghana continue to support the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme, by participating, funding and making various contribution and supports to the realization of the set goals of the programme“Ghana has completed the phase 1 stage of the Nuclear Power Programme according to the IAEA milestones approach and has launched into the phase two stage of the nuclear power programme which requires comprehensive feasibility study and implementation works” he said.
The Minister said, Ghana’s main preoccupation is funding and therefore making efforts at attracting same.
He expressed satisfaction at the Request for further Information by Russia which demonstrates their seriousness to co-operate with Ghana.
According to him, Ghana is considering long-term nuclear agreements that would last 40 to 50 years because nuclear power has become a crucial topic of discussion for sustainable energy around the world.
He emphasized that the President’s objective, as well as Ghana’s, is finding a nation that will show a commitment to funding and investing in nuclear programs.
President Akufo-Addo said in June 2022 that the cabinet had approved the addition of nuclear energy to the country’s mix of energy sources.
Under the direction of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Ministry of Energy has been concentrating its efforts on the development of a nuclear power plant as part of the nation’s clean energy policy.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
