Nuclear power prospects bright – Ghanaian engineers push for support

General News of Monday, 21 May 2018

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2018-05-21

Atomic Energy NuclearFile photo of a nuclear plant

The Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) has called on the government and other stakeholders to support the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme to bridge the gap between projected future energy demand and dwindling power generating capacity.

The Institution believes nuclear power can drive the country’s industrial transformation agenda.

The GhIE President, Ing. Steve A. Amoaning-Yankson, made this call when he delivered an address at a two-day International Workshop on Quality Control and Quality Assurance organised under the auspices of the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme Organisation (GNPPO).

The workshop was organised in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Expert Mission to review the integration of quality in the Management System of GNPPO, at the Engineers Centre, Roman Ridge, Accra on Tuesday, May 15 and Wednesday, May 16, 2018.

The theme for the workshop was: “Modern Trends in Quality Standards and Quality Management; Featuring a Component on Ghana Nuclear Power Development”.

The workshop also evaluated Ghana’s readiness for the implementation of the Ghana Nuclear Power Programme and assessed the progress made so far.

In his speech, the Board Chairman of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Dr Kweku Aning, emphasized that the vision of Ghana harnessing nuclear energy to enhance its national development projects was conceived since the time of independence.

“Today, this vision is gaining momentum due to the periodic energy crises that the country has been experiencing. It is refreshing to know that presently, the electricity supply is satisfactory. However, let us not bask in the fleeting period of stable electrical energy accessibility lest we descend into a worse electricity crisis that can potentially derail our development efforts”, he said.

Participants were also taking through presentations on some Quality Control Best Practices in the World, with panel Discussion on Leadership and Quality Management in engineering infrastructure.

Acting Executive Director of GhIE, Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong praised the foresight of the Former President J.A. Kufuor for setting up the Prof. Adjei Bekoe Presidential Committee Chaired by Prof. Adzei Bekoe that culminated in the Cabinet decision of 2008 to include nuclear into the energy mix.

Ing. Agyepong added that since 2015, Ghana has been working with experts from the IAEA to get a better understanding of nuclear power infrastructure development geared towards generating electricity from uclear power by the next 15 years.

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