Kenya on course for $5 billion nuclear plant to power industry

Posted on : Friday, 7th August 2020

Kenya's nuclear agency submitted impact studies for a $5 billion power plant and reported that it's on course to construct and start operating the facility in about 7 years. By 2030, the country is scheduled to have installed 4 GW of nuclear energy, which will enable it to generate 19 % of its energy consumption tally.

The Government plans to multiply its nuclear-power capacity fourfold from a planned initial 1,000 megawatts by 2035, the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency reported on the National Environment Management Authority's website. The document is set for public inspection before the environmental watchdog can approve it and pave the way for the project to continue.

President Uhuru Kenyatta desires to ramp up installed generation capacity from 2,712 megawatts as of April to enhance manufacturing in East Africa's largest economy. Kenya anticipates highest demand to top 22,000 megawatts by 2031, partially due to industrial growth, a component in Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda. The other 3 are improving farming, health care and housing.

The nuclear agency is assessing technologies "to identify the ideal reactor for the country," it highlighted.

A location in Tana River County, near the Kenyan coast was chosen after studies across 3 regions. The plant will be developed with a concessionaire under a build, operate and transfer model.