Rosatom believes that Africa is more than ready to develop nuclear technologies. "Nuclear power is an enabling technology that will provide Africa with the energy it needs to fulfil its massive economic potential," said Viktor Polikarpov, Rosatom International Network Regional Vice-President for Sub-Saharan Africa during his address at the at the Power and Electricity Conference held from 27 - 29 April in Nairobi, Kenya.
With the latest estimates from the World Bank suggesting that more than 600 million people are without access to electricity on the African continent, the provision of a long-term, game-changing energy supply is essential. Sub-Saharan Africa is still expected to grow at 4.6% in 2015 only and in excess of 5% in 2016, driving urbanisation and increasing long-term energy demands.
Drawing comparisons on power generation across the globe, Polikarpov uses the following example: Outside of South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa only generates 28 Gigawatts (Gw) of power, which is equivalent to Argentina's energy production. In total there is just enough electricity generated on the continent to power one light bulb per person for three hours a day.
This has a negative economic impact as African manufacturing enterprises experience power outages on average 56 days per year, translating into approximately 6% sales revenue loss and in areas like the informal sector, where back-up generators are limited, as much as 20%.
Nuclear is undoubtedly becoming a global trend. It is estimated that within the next 20 years nearly 70% of the world's population will be living in countries with nuclear power, with the amount of power being generated increasing from 400Gw to over 700Gw. Africa should not be excluded from this.
Polikarpov states, "Nuclear power is reliable, environmentally friendly and an affordable source of base load power. The fact is Africa is more than ready to develop it. We believe that providing nuclear power to the continent will create a platform for continued investment into much needed infrastructure. Nuclear power plant hubs strategically located throughout the continent could create a platform for the facilitation of regional power integration."
