Russia to work with Ghana on first power plant as involvement in Africa grows

Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on the African country's first nuclear power plant, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ghana has secured "concrete commitments" with Russia on a number of items, including plans to build a 2,000-MW nuclear power plant. It is not the first time that nuclear power has been considered in Ghana. In the 1960s, President Kwame Nkrumah made plans to introduce nuclear energy, but those plans were cut short by a coup.

Business Insider Africa reported that the goal is for construction on a facility to begin by 2027. However, the announcement provided no additional details.

The plans come more than a year after leaders in Ghana announced a framework agreement with U.S.-based companies NuScale and Regnum Technology Group to work on small modular reactors, and a separate plan with the China National Nuclear Corporation for a larger reactor. What the Russian cooperation means for these partnerships remains to be seen.

News of this partnership emerged during the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, held October 28 and 29. Nuclear-related news out of the summit was not limited to Ghana, but Ghana has been considered an influential nation with regard to the advancement of nuclear energy in Africa.

During the summit, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama said, "Today, we are prepared to leverage Russia's expertise in technology-driven initiatives to accelerate modern industrialization, growth, and prosperity across our continent."

Reuters reported that Russia's Rosatom was in talks to build large power plants with Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Egypt, according to statements made by Chief Executive Alexei Likhachev. The state-run corporation is already working with Egypt on the El Dabaa power plant, which would be the continent's second nuclear power plant. (Eskom operates the two-unit Koeberg pressurized water reactor plant in South Africa.)

In addition, Likhachev said nine African countries had expressed interest in Rosatom's floating nuclear power plant technology, with negotiations underway with Egypt, Tanzania, Togo, and Namibia, according to Reuters.

This year, a number of countries in Africa have expressed interest in nuclear power or progressed plans to introduce it into their respective energy portfolios. For example, Kenyan President William Ruto announced plans this spring for a 2,000-MW plant along Africa's largest lake in western Kenya. Also this spring, Holtec International and the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board signed a development agreement to deploy Holtec's SMR-300 reactors in Rwanda. And in September, officials from Cameroon said they would conduct a feasibility study to determine whether to pursue civil nuclear energy.