Abstract
Energy has become the driving force for national infrastructure development, including the socioeconomic development of every society. Ghana, like many other African countries, formulated developmental policies to attain middle-income status in the medium term. Socioeconomic growth comes with an upsurge in electricity consumption. Ghana seeks to use industrialization to achieve its middle-income target. To achieve this target, there is a need to develop a reliable, sustainable and affordable energy supply in a benign environment. The entry point for Ghana to become a middle-income economy is a cost-effective and reliable electricity supply. Ghana is endowed with fossil fuel, hydro and renewable resources to drive its industrial ambitions, but the indigenous gas fields feeding some thermal plants for electricity production are decreasing and could run out by early 2030 unless new fields are discovered and may also be affected by price volatility. The untapped hydro resources are also small and unreliable if the country seeks to become a middle-income country. Despite the abundant renewable resources, they are intermittent and do not present a baseload option. In safeguarding Ghana’s energy security, the country seeks to include nuclear energy into her energy mix. This research paper discusses the major drivers for nuclear energy inclusion.
Highlights
Socioeconomic development coupled with industrialisation and energy demand increase is positively correlated, requiring reliable and sustainable energy supply [1, 2]
Ghana further applied for an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Mission for Phase 1 of the Programme development in 2015 based on a selfassessment report
Sustainable development will require a mix of energy technologies
Summary
Socioeconomic development coupled with industrialisation and energy demand increase is positively correlated, requiring reliable and sustainable energy supply [1, 2]. Castellano et al [2] asserted that globally, countries that have their electrification rates less than 80% consistently suffer reduced gross domestic product (GDP) per capita [6] In this regard, countries that provide affordable and reliable electricity grow their economies and create wealth for national development [5, 7, 8]. Many countries are looking to secure a sustainable energy supply as a result of the combination of increasing population growth, socioeconomic development, and international environmental obligations [7]. The first was diesel generators and stand-alone electricity supply systems owned by industrial mines and factories This was followed by hydropower leading to the construction of the Akosombo Dam in 1966, and the current addition of thermal-powered technologies that use either gas or light crude oil [13]. The general conception of the drivers is based on the backdrop of limited available hydropower resources, the projected decline of available local gas reserves in the early 2030s, and the projected growth in energy demand, especially due to Ghana’s industrialization that is driven by the government industrial policy
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