Kool-Aid
VIP
Russia and China throw weight behind Africa's nuclear power drive
Continent's growing energy needs tie into tug of war for regional influence
asia.nikkei.com
Russia & China throw weight behind Africa's nuclear power drive
Continent's growing energy needs tie into tug of war for regional influence
South Africa's Koeberg plant, near Cape Town, is currently Africa's only nuclear power station.
TAKESHI KUMON, Nikkei staff writerJuly 22, 2022 01:54 JST
CAIRO -- African countries turning to nuclear power as electricity demand soars are finding partners in Russia and China, offering them an avenue to expand their influence in this fast-growing region.
Egypt broke ground Wednesday on the country's first nuclear power plant at El-Dabaa, 300 kilometers northwest of Cairo. Director General Alexey Likhachev, of Russia's state-run Rosatom, which is building the facility, called this the "largest project of the Russian-Egyptian cooperation since the Aswan High Dam."
The plant, slated to enter full operation by 2030, will consist of four pressurized-water reactors, believed to be top-of-the-line for Russia, with a total generating capacity of 4,800 megawatts. Egypt and Russia signed a deal to build the facility in 2015, and Moscow is reportedly lending Cairo $25 billion for the project, covering 85% of the cost.
Russia and China make for attractive potential partners for countries scrambling to secure sufficient power supplies.
The United Nations forecasts Africa's population surging roughly 70% to 2.5 billion people in 2050, and its energy needs are expected to grow accordingly. An International Energy Agency report last month estimated Africa's energy demand will grow 75% over the decade to 2030, and noted 600 million people still lack access to electricity.
Africa now has only one commercial nuclear power station, South Africa's Koeberg plant near Cape Town, but several other countries have plans in the works. Nigeria -- Africa's largest country by population, with more than 200 million people -- opened bidding in March for a 4,000 MW nuclear power plant, and Ghana plans to choose a site for a new nuclear facility by year-end.
Russia is seen as a likely candidate for both projects. Rosatom signed cooperation agreements with Nigeria and Ghana in 2012, according to materials from the company.
It has also reached cooperation agreements with Ethiopia, home to the second-largest population in Africa, and Zambia, which has rich metal reserves, as well as inking a memorandum of understanding with Morocco in 2017.
The company is helping to train nuclear engineers on the continent, and has pledged to establish technology education centers in Zambia and Rwanda.
State-owned nuclear power players in China, which views Africa as a vital source of oil, have been eyeing the continent as well.
China General Nuclear Power Group agreed in 2015 to work with Kenya on building a nuclear power plant, and China National Nuclear Corp. signed a framework agreement with Sudan the following year, though it is unclear to what extent these plans have translated into concrete action.
For Russia and China, nuclear cooperation is a potentially potent tool to win over countries that are rich in resources and can offer valuable diplomatic leverage. Only about half of Africa's roughly 50 countries voted in favor of a U.N. resolution in March criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Dealing with nuclear waste remains a challenge, and oversight will be crucial. Islamic extremists and other armed groups are active in many African countries, and allowing waste from nuclear power facilities to fall into the wrong hands could lead to the creation of radioactive "dirty bombs."
There also remains the possibility that countries themselves could pursue nuclear weapons development, as South Africa and Libya did in the past.
