IAEA hails ‘sustained and professional approach to development’
Kenya has made significant progress in the development of nuclear infrastructure for its first research reactor – a key step towards what could become a full-fledged programme to build commercial nuclear power plants in the African nation.
An International Atomic Energy Agency review mission said some countries embarking on a nuclear power programme, including Kenya, are pursuing the development of their first research reactor, which can serve as a stepping stone towards their future nuclear power programme. Kenya plans to commission its first research reactor between 2030 and 2034.
“Kenya has demonstrated a sustained and very professional approach to the development of its research reactor programme,” said Andrey Sitnikov, who led the IAEA review mission.
“We noted that before making the final decision, Kenya did a great job of developing and preparing laws and regulatory documents, actively involving interested stakeholders in the programme, and developing human resources of both the future operator and the regulator.”
Kenya has been planning a commercial nuclear station for several years as part of its ambition to move to clean energy and increase energy generation as demand rises in the nation of more than 55 million – a number that is growing by about 2% a year.
In 2022 it was reported that the government had picked Kilifi and Kwale as the two sites best suited for nuclear energy. Kilifi is on the coast about 70 km north of Mombasa. Kwale is inland to the southwest of Mombasa.
The Kenya Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, formed to undertake preparations for the development of a nuclear power programme, said construction had been delayed beyond the initial estimate of 2030, although one government official said recently new build could begin in 2027, although that seems unlikely.
The only commercial power station in Africa is the two-unit Koeberg near Cape Town, South Africa. Russia is helping Egypt build a four-unit station at El-Dabaa.
Seven sub-Saharan African countries have committed to having nuclear as part of their energy mix between 2030 and 2037. They are Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Rwanda and Zambia.
