Global superpowers are circling as Ghana prepares to build its first nuclear power plant. The small nation is poised for a major uptick in electricity demand over the next few years, and has grand plans to become a net exporter of energy to other nations within the African continent. Ghana plans for nuclear energy to play a significant role in achieving those targets.
Nuclear energy could provide a critical stop-gap in helping Africa to ‘leap-frog’ over the traditional next step in economic development – the indiscriminate consumption of cheap and available fossil fuels – straight to a decarbonized electric grid.