Kenya's Nuclear Power and Energy Agency has pushed ahead with plans to place international tenders for the building of the country's first nuclear power plant, the agency's acting CEO Justus Wabuyabo told Business Daily, a Kenyan newspaper.
"We will do the bidding stage, as anytime between 2026 and 2027 and start construction in 2027. Construction ranges six to ten years so we are looking at 2034-35 to commission the first plant," Wabuyabo was quoted as saying by media.
According to the CEO, the agency considers Kilifi or Kwale counties (the southern part of the country) as the most feasible sites for the station, and a decision on the location will be finalized after a series of trials, such as seismic tests.
The plant is expected to generate 1,000 MW, which if successfully implemented, will bolster the economy's electricity supply and reduce reliance on dirty thermal power plants.
The plans to construct a nuclear power plant were facilitated by the International Atomic Energy Agency decision two years ago giving Kenya the green light to put in place the necessary infrastructure for the power plants.
In addition to a nuclear power plant, Kenya will also have to modernize its transmission grid to ensure reliable electricity supply to off-site nuclear power plants, given that the 2023 Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment study for Kenya's nuclear power development program found that the existing grid is insufficient to support a NPP.
"While Kenya has and is already expanding its electric grid system, it may require significant enhancement/upgrading to be suitable for the connection of a nuclear power plant. Interfacing nuclear power plants with existing grids require complex engineering," the assessment report read.
In line with Kenya Vision 2030, an agenda which aims to transform the nation into a newly industrialized middle-income country, energy is considered a key way to achieve the goal. The Least Cost Power Development Plan and the Energy Bill 2016 also recognize the need to include nuclear power in Kenya's energy mix.