Economic and Business News By Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

REPORTS emerging from Dar Es Salaam, says Tanzania is planning to build a nuclear power plant in the near future with the technical backing of a South African and French multinational companies.

It would be the first nuclear plant of its kind in the Eastern African region. This is following a move by South Areva, a South African multinational firm, which is a member of the French multinational Areva Groups to bid to its construction.

Currently, the country, which depends on hydro-electric power to produce electricity, suffers from frequent acute power shortage.

The chairman of Areva South Africa Mohamed Madhi was recently in Dar-Es –Salaam from where he disclosed the plans to newsmen. He said his firm was seeking opportunities in East Africa to invest in nuclear power production.

He explained that Areva will produce clean energy in Tanzania though the construction of nuclear power plant pending the conclusion of negotiations with the government of that country.

“Areva is one of the leading companies that will be bidding for contracts to build energy capability in Tanzania,’ said Madhi. The firm is also a leading global nuclear energy with integrated capability across the full nuclear energy cycle from mining of uranium, to building of power stations, transmission and distribution of electricity and recycling and disposal of nuclear waste.

According to Madhu, South Africa, is currently working on a capital expansion program that will treble its power generation capacity from the current 38,000MW to about 80,00MW.

“Nuclear is expected to to form a significant portion of the energy mix in three projected capital expansion plan” Madhu said, adding that in the last capital expansion program the government anticipated that nuclear would form over 30 per cent of the new-built program.

According to Areva, nuclear is currently seen as a cost-effective environmentally friendly and relevant development energy option. Globally, it says, there is resurgence of interest in nuclear energy ,referred to in the industry as the “Nuclear Renaissance driven by the growing demand for energy among the fast growing emerging economic powers India and China.

It is also driven b the climate change issue, as other ‘base-load “option, coal fired power stations- is increasingly seen as a carbon intensive.

Madhu said the African continent ha energy resources-uranium solar, hydro, geothermal coal and gas which and underdeveloped.

However, experts at the Arusha-based Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission say extensive preparation are needed before the country can and process uranium.

The Commission’s director Prof. Idi Mkilaha in a recent interview with the EASTRAFRICAN that according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, baseline studies to assess the current level of contamination need to be made besides the mining regulations, there are regulations on safety and safeguard matters to consider.

Asked about the generation of electricity from nuclear, Prof Mkilaha said mining uranium and electricity generation are two different things.

“Major steps towards nuclear power plant development involve energy planning and analysis to establish and predict the optimum energy mix for the country in the short and long term,” he added.

Further steps include developing safeguards and nuclear regulatory framework and infrastructure, carrying out self-assessment in terms of the basic infrastructure for nuclear development and implementation, and human resources capacity development in nuclear technology.

The country also needs to carry out stakeholder and community education on nuclear power plant and its implications, identifying suitable and appropriate technology, site and nuclear power plant vendors, construction of nuclear power plant, and finally commissioning, monitoring and reviews of future development.

Prof. Mkilaha said uranium investment can take between 10 and 20 years to start paying back and as such economic benefits must be planned carefully before any commitment is made.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com