Kenya has started a journey that will see it have its first nuclear power plant.
According to the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, the nuclear power plant is expected to be complete by 2036.
The agency is currently conducting public participation forums across the country to collect views from Kenyans concerning the project.
Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) Director of Legal, Regulatory Services and Cooperation Justus Wabuyabu says the estimated cost for the power plant is around Ksh500 billion.
“The capital cost involved is quite heavy. For us to have a power plant that produces 1000MW, we will need around Ksh500 billion,” Wabuyabu said in Eldoret during a public participation forum.
Plans for setting up a nuclear power plant in Kenya started in 2019.
A strategic environment and social assessment for the project began in 2018, and one of the key requirements is to engage members of the public to collect their views.
“Today we are at Eldoret to fulfill a legal requirement that before we start a project of this magnitude, we are required under the NEMA act to engage with the citizens,” said the NuPEA Director of Legal, Regulatory Services and Cooperation.
Despite the huge capital that will be invested in the project, the agency believes it will help lower the cost of power in the country.
The nuclear plant will offer alternative cheap energy for use.
“The plant will be constructed in a way that it will be able to provide stable energy in 24 months without breakages and it will be free from carbon dioxide emissions,” noted Wabuyabu.
Other anticipated benefits of the nuclear power plant include the creation of over a thousand direct jobs, and 100,000 others will benefit indirectly.
So far, the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency has held public participation forums in Mombasa, Kilifi, Homabay, and Kisumu.
The nuclear power plant will be set up at the coast.
