Small modular reactor to be deployed in Ghana

Nuclear Power Ghana and US nuclear project developer Regnum Technology Group are to deploy a NuScale VOYGR-12 small modular reactor (SMR) plant in Ghana.

The agreement, which was reached during the second annual US-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit, is set to see operation of Africa’s first commercial advanced light-water SMR plant.

The two companies plan to form a subsidiary company in the near future to own and operate the plant, the intended location of which is reported to be progressing but is yet to be announced.

“Signing this agreement will position Ghana as a leader in the deployment of small modular reactors in Africa, catalysing economic development and job creation in the region,” said Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Bonnie Jenkins.

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“We are excited by the promise of these technologies in building a more sustainable future,” added Jenkins.

Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) was established in 2018 to own and operate Ghana’s nuclear power plant.

Ghana has long had an interest in the potential of nuclear power since the 1960s but at the time the country’s hydro was considered sufficient for its power needs.

Subsequently, several efforts were made to develop a nuclear programme, leading to the acquisition of a Chinese built 30kW miniature neutron source reactor for research purposes in 1995 – now just converted to operate with low-enriched uranium fuel from the previously highly enriched uranium.

Momentum further grew in the late 2000s leading to a decision by the government to incorporate nuclear into the energy mix and in 2015 the establishment of a nuclear regulator.

In a June workshop, Dr Stephen Yamoah, executive director of Nuclear Power Ghana, highlighted the increasing demand for power, saying that nuclear power is a viable option for the country’s energy mix.

The NuScale VOYGR plant is the only SMR design currently certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at 50MWe per module.

NuScale is seeking to increase the power for each module to 77MWe, which is currently under review with the NRC.

At the Summit, in addition to the small modular reactor agreement, with support from the US Department of Energy the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission’s Nuclear Power Institute launched the region’s first clean energy training centre to support the development of civil nuclear energy programmes across the continent in the capital, Accra.

Through the training centre, the US will offer technical expertise and training with support from its nuclear industry, national laboratories and academic institutions on topics such as workforce capacity building, reactor design and operation, and the management of spent nuclear fuel.