Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) holds 2-day virtual workshop for media professionals
As part of its commitment to engage with the relevant stakeholders to be abreast of the significance of nuclear power technology, a two-day virtual workshop has been held for media professionals.
The workshop was on the theme: “Transformative nature of Nuclear Power Technology and its relevance to Ghanaians”.
The participants were taken through topics such as “Major Components of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)” by Mr Daniel A. Wordson; “The Advantages of Nuclear Energy and Applications” by Dr Felix Ameyaw of Nuclear Energy Planning Centre (NEPC); “The Nuclear Fuel Cycle (Key Concepts & Associated Safety Concerns”, among other topics.
As a backgrounder,
the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) is an independent regulatory body established by the NRA Act, 2015 (Act 895) and began operations in January 2016.
The NRA has a statutory responsibility for regulating the civilian use of nuclear and other radioactive materials in medicine, industry, agriculture, education and research in Ghana.
Its mandates include: authorising and regulating the civilian use of nuclear and other radioactive sources in Ghana; ensuring the protection of the general public, patients, people who work with radiation, property and the environment from the harmful effects of radiations.
Other mandates of NPG are: regulating research reactors, the gamma irradiation facility, and radioactive sources used in medicine, industry, research, education and in the near future commercial nuclear power plants; regulating the possession, use, transport, storage and the disposal of radioactive materials and radioactive waste and also licensing the import and export of radioactive materials.
The media professionals were educated that nuclear fuel is a material (uranium) that can be used to produce nuclear energy through fusion or fissions.
Dr Felix Ameyaw revealed facts on non-electric application with nuclear power by stating that less than 1% of heat generated in nuclear power plants globally is currently used for non-electric applications.
According to him, the advantages of non-electric application of nuclear energy include: improving NPP efficiency by saving energy, recycling of waste heat, rationalisation of production.
Other advantages are: improving the value of heat (use of low-quality steam), improving economics of NPPs for better revenue such as better utilisation of fuel, sharing of infrastructures, production of more than one product (cogeneration).
Dr Ameyaw said one advantage is to sustain the environment by keeping it clean and reducing consumption of fossil fuel to produce energy for non-electric applications.
With regard to the prospects of nuclear energy utilisation for non-electric applications in Ghana, Dr Ameyaw said the above-mentioned non-electric applications of nuclear heat could be identified, and the possible demand for such application indicates good prospects for Ghana.
Touching on meeting the demand for energy-intensive non-electric products, Dr Ameyaw said desalination of sea water is the only means to overcome water shortage in the 21st century.
He said, for instance, in Ghana, close to six million people (nearly 22%) rely on surface water (supplied by GWCL) to meet their daily water needs for domestic and industrial uses. More than 40% of Ghana’s 25 million population lack access to safe water.
A cross-section of the participants commended the authorities of Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) for the timely and insightful training workshop.
