One of the most serious problems with nuclear power is the disposal of thousands of tons of spent nuclear fuel. There have be a series of proposals for different disposal methods but the two most popular are geological repositories and deep drilling.
The Deep Geo Ghana Limited is an environmental management company. They have agreed to work with the Ghana Geological Survey Authority (GGSA) towards the construction of a spent nuclear fuel storage facility to support Ghana’s Nuclear Power Program.
Ghana has intensified efforts to add nuclear power to the country’s energy mix. The target is to build and operate the country’s first nuclear power plant by 2030.
The Deep Geo and the GGSA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday. The two institutions expressed their commitment to conduct feasibility studies on the construction of a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel in the country.
The GGSA is expected to conduct geophysical studies. Three candidate sites are to be located. Out of these three, one will be selected as the preferred site for the facility.
Link Murray is the Chief Executive Officer of Deep Geo Repository Incorporated, and David Amoah is the Chief Executive Officer of Deep Geo Ghana Limited. They signed the MoU on behalf of Deep Geo. Isaac K. Mwinbelle is the Acting Director General of the GGSA. He signed on behalf of the Authority.
The deep geological repository will be network of underground tunnels and placement rooms for spent nuclear fuel canisters. The repository is designed to safely contain and isolate spent nuclear fuel over the long term.
Amoah told the Ghana News Agency that Deep Geo was interested in managing Ghana’s spent nuclear fuel in the future. For this reason, they put necessary arrangements in place ahead of time.
Amoah said, “By 2030, Ghana should be producing nuclear power. Nuclear power will be generating nuclear waste and we should be thinking on how to store that waste. That is why we want to go ahead and do this study and possibly construct the repository.”
Amoah went on to say that the facility to store spent nuclear fuel required a location with stable geology. He added that the signing of the MoU was the first of many activities to be undertaken.
Murray said that Deep Geo had an excellent track record of assisting Canada to construct its Deep Geological Repository. He offered assurance that the firm was willing to support Ghana to effectively manage its spent nuclear fuel in the future.
Mwinbelle said that the GGSA was committed to providing the necessary technical assistance to Deep Geo to help achieve their desired goals. He also said that “This is in line with our mandate, and we are ready to assist you in fulfilling this dream in the interest of national development.”
In August of last year, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo approve the inclusions of nuclear technology into Ghana’s power generation mix.
This move is consistent with the global collective commitment to the sustainable availability of power, the peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy to enhance rapid industrialization and to propel economic growth.