The Republic of Kenya is a country on the East Coast of Africa. It covers about a quarter of a million square miles and has population of about forty five million people. The economy of Kenya is has the largest GDP in East and Central Africa and its capital, Nairobi is a commercial hub for the region.
The major portion of the over two gigawatts of electricity in Kenya is generated by dams with fossil fuel, geothermal energy and imported electricity making up the rest of the gigawatt plus capacity of the country. Drought cause electricity shortfalls and expansion of industry is limited by the uncertain electricity supply.
Currently, the cost of electricity is almost nineteen cents a kilowatt hour. This price is much higher than the cost of electricity in neighboring countries.
In 2010, Kenya expressed the intent to build a nuclear power plant to supply another gigawatt of capacity and to lower the price to five cents a kilowatt hour in the hope of attracting more foreign investment in industrial expansion. This project was estimated to cost about three and a half billion dollars for construction of a South Korean nuclear power reactor with estimated completion around 2022. However, no contract was signed with a supplier and the project did not move forward at that time.
The nuclear power project is now estimated to cost approximately five billion dollars and is slated for completion in 2027. The government is currently carrying out studies on the Kenyan electrical grid and considering different financing options. When they have decided on a particular technology and chosen a site, they will request bids for the construction of the nuclear power plant. The government is discussing both public-private partnerships and government-to-government agreements as possible ways to pay for the project. Kenya hopes to have four gigawatts of nuclear power by 2033. South Korea may also help finance nuclear projects in Kenya.
Last May, Kenya and Russia company Rosatom signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation "in various fields of peaceful nuclear energy, namely construction of power plants, scientific and technical cooperation in the field, training of specialists, preparation of the necessary legal and regulatory framework."
In September, Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board and China General Nuclear (CGN) signed an agreement with help finance and construct nuclear power reactors. China nuclear companies have offered assistance in supplying and handling the nuclear fuel that will be needed.
In September, the Kenyan Energy Secretary visited South Korea and signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) and the Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) collaborate on designing, constructing and operating nuclear reactors.
Thomas Countryman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-proliferation has expressed reservations with respect to African nations including Kenya adopting nuclear power. He says that if they opt for nuclear power, “you are committing yourself and future generations for hundreds and thousands of years to the nuclear fuel cycle and to the cost of maintaining safe disposal of radioactive wastes. “It’s not a decision to be taken lightly by any country. I am concerned about countries pursuing nuclear power because it looks like a good deal today."
Kenya is a stable country at the moment but some of its neighbors are very unstable such as Sudan. A nuclear reactor would be an attractive target for terrorists. In addition to causing environmental and economic disaster if blown up, a nuclear reactor could also provide radioactive materials for a dirty bomb. Perhaps it would be better for Kenya to invest billions of dollars into expanding other sources of energy.
