Kenya inks nuclear power partnership deal with China

Kenya and China have reached a deal for cooperation on the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the East African nation.

The deal was signed in China on Monday between Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) and China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN).

The memorandum of understanding will enable Kenya to "obtain expertise from China by way of training and skills development, technical support in areas such as site selection for Kenya's nuclear power plants and feasibility studies," a KNEB statement said here Friday.

Kenya plans to set up a first nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1000MW by 2025. This is expected to rise to a total of 4000MW by 2033, making nuclear electricity a key component of the country's energy mix which is projected will be about 19,000MW in total.

"This is an important partnership on the road to the realization of our nuclear power program," said KNEB chairman Ochilo Ayacko.

Kenya is yet to settle on the model of reactor for its nuclear plant, with China's Hualong One Reactor, which can generate 1000MW of electricity, among those under consideration.

The MoU was signed at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong Province, southern China.

The CGN, a major clean energy corporation, is among the first in the world to build a nuclear station with generation III nuclear reactor. Endit