KENYA CANNOT MEET ENERGY DEMAND WITHOUT NUCLEAR POWER.

2 Oct (NucNet): The growing energy demands of Kenya’s 40 million population cannot be met or sustained without the addition of nuclear energy, the executive chairman and chief executive officer of Kenya’s Nuclear Electricity Board has said. George Mbogo told an International Atomic Energy Agency conference on nuclear power infrastructure that Kenya’s current installed electricity capacity of approximately 2,000 megawatts is predominantly sourced from hydro and fossil fuel sources. He said a pre-feasibility study for embarking on a nuclear power programme, prepared with support from the IAEA, is providing Kenya with the information it needs to make a “knowledgeable decision” about the implementation of nuclear. Mr Mgobo said Kenya is establishing a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for its planned nuclear programme, and considering potential funding and financing options. The IAEA said it has been asked to carry out an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission to Kenya in August 2015. INIR missions, which are voluntary, review the infrastructure status of a potential nuclear nation through interviews, site visits and document reviews, providing suggestions and recommendations in a report. Last year the IAEA called on Kenya to establish a robust and independent nuclear regulator as part of its plans to build its first nuclear power plant. During a visit to the African nation, IAEA director-general Yukiya Amano said Kenya is planning to introduce nuclear power in the next decade and the agency would continue to work closely with the Kenyan authorities to help establish a nuclear power programme that would be safe, secure and sustainable. Malaysia told the conference that it is exploring the nuclear energy option to meet future electricity demands and diversify its energy mix as part of its Economic Transformation Programme. Mohamad Mohd Ali, from the Malaysian Ministry of Science and Technology, said Malaysia was “optimising IAEA and international cooperation” for a new nuclear power project, although the country has not yet made a final decision. Follow NucNet on Twitter @nucnetnews Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/nucnet Find us on LinkedIn: NucNet To contact the editor responsible for this story David Dalton at david.dalton@nucnet.org Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers): IAEA Urges Kenya To Establish ‘Robust And Independent’ Regulator (World Nuclear Review No.51, 27 December 2013) Source: NucNet Editor: David Dalton © NucNet a.s.b.l Brussels, Belgium

A LESSON FROM KOREA'S SUCCESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY.

AFRICA LOOKS TO TURN ON NUCLEAR POWER.

http://www.voanews.com/content/kenya-pursuing-nuclear-power-despite-the-risks/1880247.html http://www.voanews.com/content/africa-looks-to-nuclear-power-to-light-up-continent/1880377.html South Africa is expanding its nuclear power capacity while Kenya, Nigeria and other African countries are swiftly developing their nuclear power programmes. But, some parts of the world hold the notion that Africa’s capability to turn on nuclear power is limited attributing it to high investment costs to put up nuclear power plants, inadequacy to manage nuclear spent fuel and radiation risks among others. Developing nations borrow a lot from the developed world and this influences the development paths they follow. Nuclear power being a unique development cause, newcomer countries tend to borrow from both successful and unsuccessful countries which have pursued it. No single country has had a smooth nuclear power programme and Kenya’s pursuit of nuclear technology for electricity generation is expected to attract doubts from critics who will also measure its capacity to develop nuclear power against the nuclear success or failure of developed nations. For instance, critics feel that if Germany has decided to phase out nuclear power, Kenya cannot pull through. Nevertheless, the same critics know very well that fossil fuels and ‘traditional’ sources of electricity cannot satisfy the growing domestic and industrial demands for energy.

Kenya's Energy needs: Nuclear power plans still on track

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Happy new year members of the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board's (Nuclear Kenya) fan pages,

Hope we will continue to share our thoughts, opinionated views and experiences and learn from each other so that we can improve our knowledge, our attitudes and our views about nuclear power. I believe that bringing together a diversity of minds even in a platform like this forum, goes a long way to move us forward towards understanding what nuclear energy as a whole entails as well as why, when and how our country intends to introduce this source of power. 

South Africa has been using nuclear power for quite a while now since 1984 when its first commercial plant began operation and it also intends to add about 9,600MW of electricity from nuclear plants into its grid by 2030. Many other countries in the continent such as Egypt, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana etc are considering adding nuclear power into their energy mixes. Kenya is among African countries that have considered introducing this nuclear power for electricity generation. 

We are all partners in ensuring a better tomorrow for ourselves and generations to come. The Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board was set up to take the country through the road-map of realizing nuclear electricity generation. Let us unite in a bid to support Kenya's Nuclear Power Programme for peaceful uses of nuclear power. It can only be possible to look forward to a better and all round development of our economy only if we put in place a vibrant energy sector which plays a major role in a country's economic development. 

Everything good is worth taking the challenge and giving a sacrifice; even the developed world in the nuclear industry like the U.S, China, France etc did not begin smoothly but eventually the user countries of nuclear power can tell the contribution of reliable and stable power in their economies. 

May this year bring us prosperity as we explore this cause and many others.

Happy New Year! 

WHERE ARE WE IN TERMS OF PREPARATION FOR NUCLEAR POWER?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Kenya is not where it aspires to be in terms of electricity generation and supply. In the history of the nuclear industry, going nuclear is not a journey achieved in one day or five years but one that is keenly calculated and strong safety measures put in place as well as adhered to without negotiation. For Kenya, embarking on a nuclear power journey is not any different either. Preparations towards this started in November 2010 when KNEB was established to play the role of a Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organization (NEPIO). A Pre-Feasibility Study Report which is almost coming into completion will allow the Government to make an appropriate and informed decision to implement a nuclear power generation project. 

Besides, the country is also preparing future personnel in terms of building capacity for human resource. The Government has invested heavily in sponsoring students to pursue Post Graduate Studies in Nuclear Science at the University of Nairobi's Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology. Additionally, with the growing partnership between the Government of Kenya and that of the Republic of South Korea, more students are pursuing a Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering at South Korea's Institute of Nuclear Graduate Studies (KINGS). In light of this, it is expected that by the time a nuclear power plant is commissioned for operation in about 10 years to come, these personnel will have been trained and exposed to the nuclear world enough to professionally carry out operational activities in a nuclear power plant. KNEB has also been participating in public forums to create awareness and educate the public on nuclear energy issues as a means to address public fears and concerns about this source of electricity. These are just a few examples of how the country is preparing itself for a civil nuclear electricity generation project.

At this point in time, we can only be patient and let the Government make a concrete decision as pertains to the entire issue of technically going nuclear. The report will also address in detail specific issues such as siting of the nuclear power plant, funding and financing of the project, emergency response, safety and security,  radioactive waste management and nuclear plant technology among others. It is hoped that public concerns will be adequately addressed in the aforementioned report which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is also offering its support and guidance before it is presented to the Government for scrutiny and appropriate decision-making.

We all look forward to a better and power secure nation. Aren't we? 

ENERGY DIVERSITY AND MIX: QUENCHING AN ENERGY-THIRSTY COUNTRY.

In reality, there is no single energy source that is perfect or sufficient enough to quench the thirst for energy in any given country. Cheap and reliable energies usually come at heavier environmental impacts. Pure, renewable, and clean energies like wind, solar and geothermal tend to be expensive, unreliable and rare.

Nuclear energy can be harnessed for electricity generation at the same time leaving an environmentally clean environment due to the fact that it is a carbon-dioxide-emission-free energy source. Nuclear is a clean-air energy that is designed to release only steam rather than smoke into the atmosphere thus the reason for it being environmentally friendly. In fact, it scores highly in terms of fighting climate change since it does not emit green house gases which heavily deplete the ozone layer and cause global warming. Nuclear energy is also cost-competitive and allows us to power our homes and industries without digging deep into our pockets because it is one of the affordable sources of electricity when compared to other sources.

According to the Energy Information Center website, nuclear waste is so dense that if you piled all of the used fuel generated from all of the power plants in the United States in the past 60 years, it could fit it all on a football field. It is quite unbelievable but also a fact!!

In the United States which has the largest number of nuclear power plants in the world (104), used nuclear fuel and facilities are kept safe, controlled and regulated by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which enforces strict safety standards for all nuclear facilities and keeps them running like new all round the year. The agency ensures that nuclear facilities comply with all environmental standards, keeping resources clean and safeguarded before any plant can operate. In the nuclear industry, compliance to a strict safety culture is not an option but mandatory. Kenya may be a failure just like any other third world country struggling to build its economic muscles. This is especially when it comes to emergency response and management of 'small' disasters or wastes but in this case, the safety culture is not a choice. All things considered, nuclear energy supports environmental stewardship and affordable energy. It gives us the ability to power our homes without emitting harmful gases into the surrounding environment while safely controlling the used fuel by-product.

Instead of fighting new initiatives for nuclear energy, we should focus on solving the real problems that prevent us from taking full use of the environmental benefits that are at disposal from the introduction and adoption of nuclear energy. Problems such as the political issues behind creating a nuclear fuel repository where we can safely house our waste and upholding the policy that prevents recycling of used nuclear fuel - a process that leads to the manufacture of nuclear weapons should be our main concerns to address the environmental issues surrounding nuclear energy.

There is no clear answer to what the perfect energy source is for us right now but it is important to note that no single energy source can satisfy our energy demands hence the reason to have a diversified energy mix. However, it is worth noting that each energy source has a limited maximum capacity of supply that can be exploited and having a diversity in electricity generation would help complement the capacity of each rather than to bring competition of sources. This is key in the Kenyan case. It is therefore important to keep a strong mix of energy sources to maintain affordability while at the same time promoting environmental stewardship in this era when the world is faced with the challenge of addressing a carbon-filled environment.

When analyzing the sources of our energy, it is important to consider the playing field and what is at stake, make knowledgeable decisions, and not allow our good intentions to lead us down the wrong path for lack of knowledge, factual information and/ or perspective. We would all wish to leave a livable country where our next generations will enjoy energy security and economic development. Let us unite to support the move towards sustainability in the energy sector. Nuclear energy has transformed super-powers like the U.S, China and the U.K. We too, can only emulate them, learn from the mistakes done by others and embrace best practices in the nuclear industry for us to reap from the safe application of nuclear technology for electricity generation.

ALL THE BEST KENYA.