GAEC touts safety, grid stability and benefits of SMRs
Public Education Takes Centre Stage
The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has intensified efforts to deepen public understanding of nuclear energy, highlighting the safety, flexibility and potential benefits of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) as Ghana advances plans to introduce nuclear power into its electricity generation mix. Officials say public education and stakeholder engagement will be critical to building confidence in nuclear technology and helping Ghanaians understand the systems and safeguards underpinning the country’s nuclear power programme.
The emphasis was made during a familiarisation tour of selected GAEC facilities organised to give journalists first-hand insight into Ghana’s nuclear infrastructure and the technologies being considered for the country’s future energy needs.
E2 Centre Offers a Glimpse into Nuclear Plant Operations
The journalists visited the Energy Exploration (E2) Centre, the Radioactive Waste Management Centre and the Ghana Research Reactor-1. At the E2 Centre, Manager of the Localization and Stakeholder Support Centre at the Nuclear Power Institute-GAEC, George Kofi Appiah, demonstrated the operation of Africa’s first Small Modular Reactor control room simulator. He explained that the simulator reproduces the systems and processes used in an actual nuclear power plant control room, allowing users to gain practical knowledge of nuclear plant operations without operating a real reactor.
“It actually has a simulator that makes the control room of a nuclear power plant. It is not a real plant, but it mimics the control room,” he said.
According to Appiah, the facility was donated to Ghana by the United States Department of State as part of efforts to support nuclear energy development and capacity building in Africa. He said the centre is available to professionals, students and members of the public who want to learn more about nuclear power plant operations, subject to prior notification.
GAEC Assures Public of Nuclear Safety
Appiah also sought to address public concerns about nuclear safety, particularly those arising from major incidents such as the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. “Nuclear power is safe,” he said, arguing that modern reactor technologies have evolved significantly, with multiple layers of safety systems designed to prevent, control and manage potential accidents.
He explained that the Fukushima accident followed a powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami. While the reactors shut down after detecting the earthquake, the tsunami disabled diesel generators needed to maintain cooling systems. “When the nuclear power plant shuts down, because the temperature is high inside the reactor vessel, the temperature does not disappear all of a sudden. You have to take measures to take away the heat,” he explained.
The loss of cooling capacity resulted in a build-up of hydrogen, which contributed to explosions at the facility. However, Appiah said modern nuclear reactor designs incorporate additional safety mechanisms, including decay heat removal and emergency cooling systems. He added that some newer designs use passive safety systems that rely on natural forces such as gravity, reducing dependence on external electricity supplies or immediate human intervention during emergencies.
SMRs Offer Greater Deployment Flexibility
Appiah said Small Modular Reactors could offer Ghana greater flexibility as the country determines the most appropriate nuclear technology for its electricity needs. Unlike conventional large reactors, which can produce around 1,000 megawatts or more and generally require full construction and commissioning before their output is connected to the national grid, SMRs can be deployed in smaller units.
“The first unit, you put it on the grid and then continue building until you are done with six or 12,” he explained.
This modular approach, he said, would allow Ghana to gradually increase nuclear generation in line with electricity demand and grid capacity. The design could also provide operational advantages during maintenance. Instead of shutting down an entire large-scale nuclear plant, individual modules could be taken offline while the remaining units continue producing electricity.
“When it comes to maintenance, you do not have to shut down a large plant. You shut down one module, you do the maintenance, and the other 11 are running and giving you power,” Appiah said.
Grid Stability a Key Consideration
Beyond the technology itself, Appiah said Ghana’s electricity grid would be an important factor in determining the size of any future nuclear power plant. He explained that electricity systems must be capable of absorbing the output of a major generating unit and managing the impact if that unit suddenly goes offline. A large reactor producing about 1,000 megawatts, for instance, could create challenges if the national grid is not sufficiently robust to accommodate its output.
“If you have a Small Modular Reactor producing about 300 megawatts, or let’s say 400 megawatts, if you put that on the grid, you are actually going to fall within the safe limits that we are talking about,” he said.
Appiah stressed that Ghana must therefore strengthen and assess its grid capacity alongside decisions on nuclear technology. “If you are going to add another 1,000 megawatts to the pool that we already have, we need the grid to be able to absorb it,” he said.
Ghana Builds Regional Nuclear Capacity
The E2 Centre is also emerging as a platform for nuclear-related training across Africa. Appiah disclosed that participants from countries including Nigeria, Kenya and Rwanda had undergone training at the facility. “We had participants from Nigeria, Kenya and, if I am not mistaken, Rwanda. They came here to train,” he said.
He added that discussions were underway to develop virtual training programmes that would enable participating countries to maintain and expand the knowledge acquired at the centre. The initiative reflects Ghana’s broader ambition to contribute to nuclear capacity building on the continent while strengthening its own technical expertise.
Radioactive Waste Management Part of Safety Framework
The familiarisation tour also took journalists to the Radioactive Waste Management Centre, where they gained insight into how radioactive materials and waste are handled, controlled and managed. The facility forms part of Ghana’s broader nuclear safety and regulatory framework and provides an important component of the infrastructure required for the responsible use of nuclear technology.
Officials say effective radioactive waste management will remain essential as Ghana develops its nuclear power programme and expands the use of nuclear-related technologies.
Ghana’s Nuclear Power Agenda
Ghana has been exploring nuclear energy as a long-term option for diversifying its electricity generation mix, improving energy security and meeting rising power demand. Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) is supporting the country’s nuclear power development agenda through technical capacity building, research, public education and stakeholder engagement.
The organisation maintains that public understanding will be crucial as Ghana moves towards decisions on the technology, infrastructure and systems required to establish nuclear power generation. The familiarisation tour was therefore designed not only to expose journalists to nuclear facilities but also to equip them with information that can support informed public discussion about Ghana’s nuclear ambitions.
Sustained Public Education Needed
For Appiah, educating the public must remain a central part of Ghana’s nuclear journey. As the country considers the deployment of newer reactor technologies, including SMRs, officials believe sustained engagement can help address misconceptions and provide a clearer understanding of the benefits, risks and safeguards associated with nuclear energy.
“It is important for the public to understand and appreciate what we are doing,” Appiah said.
With Ghana weighing its options for adding nuclear power to the national generation mix, the debate is increasingly shifting beyond whether nuclear energy is viable to questions of which technology is most suitable, how the grid can accommodate it, and how Ghana can build the technical and public confidence needed to operate it safely.
