THE ROLE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR KENYA’S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Presented By Eng. Collins Juma Technical Director and Head of Secretariat Kenya Nuclear Electricity

THE ROLE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

FOR KENYA’S DEVELOPMENT

STRATEGY

PresentedBy

Eng. Collins Juma Technical Director and Head of SecretariatKenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB)

To

THE 20TH ENGINEERS’ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE-2013 VENUE: KISUMU

DATE: 8th -10th May 2013

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WHAT IS NUCLEAR POWER?

• Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to

generate heat and electricity.

• A nuclear power plant is therefore a facility at which energy

released by fission (splitting) of atoms is converted to electrical

energy under strictly regulated operating conditions. Nuclear

reactors produce, contain and control the release of energy from

splitting of Uranium 235 atoms. In electric power plants this

energy heats water to make steam which in turn drives turbine

generators to make electricity.

• The various activities associated with production of electricity

from nuclear reaction are referred to collectively as the nuclear

fuel cycle which starts with the mining of uranium and ends with

disposal of nuclear waste.

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NUCLEAR POWER TECHNOLOGYPressurized Water Reactor

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NUCLEAR POWER IN THE WORLD

• Nuclear power plants provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and

13% of the world's electricity, in 2012. In 2013, the International Atomic

Energy Agency(IAEA) reports that there are 437 operational nuclear

power reactors (although not all are producing electricity) in

31 countries, 28 under construction and 222 in the planning stage.

• The uptake of nuclear power technology has been growing over time

across different countries and regions. Various countries without existing

nuclear power technology in their power systems have expressed interest

in investing in nuclear electricity production, while developed countries

with existing nuclear plants have been expanding their capacities.

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THE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME

• To attain nuclear status, a country must guided by the International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) milestone approach which requires

that a nuclear power programme be developed by the country. The

IAEA is an inter-governmental agency which ensures that member

States comply with their obligations to use nuclear energy for

peaceful purposes only.

• A nuclear power programme is a major undertaking requiring

careful planning, preparation and investment in time, capital and

human resources. Planning for nuclear power can take 10-15 year

until commissioning of the first plant.

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NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME PROCESS

Nuclear Power Programme Milestones & IAEA Services

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KENYA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

• The overall national development objectives of the Government of

Kenya are accelerated economic growth; increasing productivity of all

sectors; equitable distribution of national income; poverty alleviation

through improved access to basic needs; enhanced agricultural

production; industrialization; accelerated employment creation and

improved rural-urban balance.

• The extent to which these objectives can be realized on a sustainable

basis and environmentally sound manner, is dependent on the degree and

economic efficiency with which critical factors of production are made

available and combined with each other to produce the desired results.

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KENYA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

• The realization of these development objectives is only feasible if

quality energy services are availed in a sustainable, cost effective and

affordable manner to all sectors of the economy ranging from

manufacturing, services, mining, and agriculture to households.

• The Kenya Governments’ national energy policy aims to achieve

affordable quality energy for all Kenyans by facilitating provision of

clean, sustainable, affordable, reliable and secure energy services at

least cost while protecting the environment.

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ACCESS TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY BY THE COUNTIES

• The constitution of Kenya provided for devolution and access to

Energy services. In Kenya, it was estimated by 2010 that 22% had

electricity connection in their homes up from 4% in 2003; This

figures are an indication that access to energy services in the

Counties is very limited .

• Counties therefore require affordable quality energy for the realization of development objectives.

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KENYA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY -KENYA VISION 2030

• The country’s development agenda is anchored on the Kenya Vision

2030, which aims at creating “a globally competitive and prosperous

country with a high quality of life by 2030”.

• It aims to transform Kenya into “a newly industrialized, middle-income

country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and

secure environment”.

• The Vision is anchored on three key pillars: economic, social and

political. Energy is a key foundation and one of the infrastructural

“enablers” upon which the economic, social and political pillars of this

long-term development strategy will be built.

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IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX

• The critical need for nuclear energy is premised on the fact that, with

the rising demand for power in the country due to the accelerated

investment in the economy, it is one of the forms of energy that can

produce enormous amounts of electricity at a relatively economical

cost.

• Kenya’s energy demand has been on a consistent rise in recent years and it

has become imperative to diversify the country’s energy sources to meet this

demand.

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• The Ministry of Energy has proposed the use of nuclear energy for purposes of

electricity generation in the Draft National Energy Policy. The Least Cost Power

Development Plan (‘LCPDP’) has also recognized the need for inclusion of nuclear

energy in Kenya’s energy mix.

• The Least Cost Power Development Plan (LCPDP) forecasts that the country’s

peak electricity demand shall stand at over 16,905MW and peak demand of by

2031 requiring an installed capacity of 21,620MW as a result of the rapidly

increasing use for electricity for industrial, commercial and household use.

• According to the LCPDP the first nuclear power plant is expected to be

commissioned in the year 2022.

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Power Supply Mix for Kenya's System in 2031 as per LCPDP - MW

5,040

2,400

2,3401,440

1,500

4,000

2,000

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GEOTCOALGAS TURBINEMEDIUM SPEED DIESELWINDNUCLIMPORTHYDRO

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• The Government objective is to facilitate provision of clean, sustainable,

affordable, reliable and secure energy services at least cost while

protecting the environment.

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Advantages of Nuclear Power cont’d

• Nuclear plants are some of the most cost effective sources of power.

• It is a clean non- pollutant way to produce energy as it does not

produce any GHG emissions. This ensures the continuation of our

industrial civilization while protecting the environment

• The fuel for nuclear power plants is uranium which is abundantly

available as it’s a natural resource. Uranium deposits are not

exhaustible for an estimated 1,000 years worldwide.

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Advantages of Nuclear Power

• Nuclear power is a reliable source of power with an economic life of 70

years with an option of extension of up to 20 years.

• Nuclear fuel can be recycled and re- used. This approach would capture

the vast amount of energy still remaining in the spent nuclear fuel and

reduce on radioactive waste.

• Nuclear power plants have one of the highest conversion factors with a

sustained plant efficiency of up to 98%.

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• In comparison with other forms of energy such as solar and wind,

nuclear energy utilizes less land. A site area comparison of the various

forms of energy reveals that for a 1,000MW capacity plant, nuclear

energy requires 330,000m², solar 33,000,000m² and wind

165,000,000m².

• It is the only source of energy that can replace a significant part of the

fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) which massively pollute the atmosphere

and contribute to the greenhouse effect

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• Nuclear power was deployed rapidly to replace coal, oil and gas in the

industrial countries, and is eventually being adopted by developing

countries .

• An intelligent combination of energy conservation, and renewable

energies for local low-intensity applications, and nuclear energy for

base-load electricity production, is the only viable way for the future

• With the new high temperature reactors we will be able to recover fresh

water from the sea and support hydrogen production. i.e. desalination of

sea water and hydrogenation.

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Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power

• plants provide low-cost, predictable power at stable prices and are

essential in maintaining the reliability of the U.S. electric power system

• Nuclear plants also contribute to national energy security and ensure

stable nationwide electricity supply

• Nuclear energy is not subject to unreliable weather or climate

conditions, unpredictable cost fluctuations, or dependence on foreign

suppliers. In fact, nuclear energy is a strong domestic as well as

international industry, with extensive fuel supply sources.

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• They help supply the necessary level of electricity, or "base load

generation," for the electricity transmission network, or "grid," to

operate

• plants provide low-cost, predictable power at stable prices and are

essential in maintaining the reliability of the U.S. electric power

system

• Nuclear plants also contribute to national energy security and ensure

stable nationwide electricity supply

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• Nuclear energy is not subject to unreliable weather or climate conditions,

unpredictable cost fluctuations, or dependence on foreign suppliers. In fact,

nuclear energy is a strong domestic as well as international industry, with

extensive fuel supply sources.

• They help supply the necessary level of electricity, or "base load

generation," for the electricity transmission network, or "grid," to operate.

• Nuclear power plants have long periods of operation. Nuclear power plants

are designed to operate continuously for long periods of time. They can run

about 540 days before they are shut down for refueling.

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• The costs involved in producing electricity at a nuclear power plant,

operations and maintenance plus fuel, have been declining over the past

decade. In addition, there are no unexpected additional costs.

• Nuclear power plants have long periods of operation. Nuclear power

plants are designed to operate continuously for long periods of time.

They can run about 540 days before they are shut down for refueling.

• The costs involved in producing electricity at a nuclear power plant,

operations and maintenance plus fuel, have been declining over the past

decade. In addition, there are no unexpected additional costs.

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• Another value of nuclear power, transmission system support, is

provision of ancillary services such as voltage support, and play a

key role in maintaining the reliability of the grid, a service with

value in an unbundled market.

• Nuclear power plants have significant additional site value, such as

switchyards, access to the grid, ingress and egress, and spare cooling

capacity. In many cases, they were planned for more units than were

built, providing room to build additional non-nuclear generation.

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• Abundant fuel with low cost and stable price. Uranium is a

relatively abundant element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust.

Uranium oxide is about as common as tin. Compared to natural gas,

a fuel also used to generate electricity, uranium is already relatively

low in cost and less sensitive to fuel price increases.

• And a little goes a long way: one uranium fuel pellet-the size of the

tip of your little finger-is the equivalent of 17,000 cubic feet of

natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil.

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Bonus Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power

• Nuclear plants create as many as 400-700 high-paying, full-time

jobs at each facility.

• Nuclear plants can create the same number of community jobs to

support the plant work force (grocery stores, schools, dry cleaners,

etc.).

• The average nuclear plant generates $430 million in sales of goods

and services in the community.

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Bonus Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power

• The average nuclear plant generates $40 million in total labor

income.

• The average nuclear plant generates nearly $20 million in state and

local tax revenue, benefiting schools, roads and other state

infrastructure.

• Nuclear energy costs are more stable compared to other forms of

electricity generation, keeping costs low for consumers.

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Present Conditions of other energy Resources

• industrial civilization runs on energy and 85% of the world’s energy

is provided by the fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas.

• Coal is found almost everywhere and reserves should last several

centuries.

• Petroleum: Discoveries of new deposits are not keeping up with

consumption and production of oil is about to peak. At the present

rate of consumption, reserves are estimated to last a few decades, but

consumption is growing rapidly.

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Present Conditions of other energy Resources

• More than half the world’s oil production today is located in the fragile

and politically unstable area of the Persian Gulf, as is an even greater

fraction of our future reserves;(With Kenya’s oil discovery this situation

may change)

• Gas: Reserves are similarly limited and estimated to last for a few

decades.

• These fossil fuels were laid down over geological times and it seems

likely they will have been totally exploited over the few centuries from

about 1,850 to 2,100.

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Environmental Consequences

• In burning fossil fuels, we inject 23 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year

into the atmosphere – 730 tons per second. This is significantly altering the

composition of the atmosphere and seriously affecting the climate of our

planet.

Conservation and Renewable

• widespread economic development and enhanced life expectancy on the one

hand and finite fossil fuel resources on the other, conservation can only delay

the crisis that will arise from the penury of oil and gas.

• Energy efficiency and alternate sources of energy can and must be

developed.

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• Environmentalists are enchanted by the simplicity of solar cells and the

pristine elegance of wind turbines, and they refuse to accept the fact that

they are quantitatively incapable of supplying the energy required by an

industrial civilization.

• they are useful alternatives and have important niche roles to play – in

remote locations and under special circumstances.

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• One kilogram (kg) of firewood can generate 1 kilowatt-hour

(kWh) of electricity. The values for the other solid fossil fuels and

for nuclear power are shown in the table below:

•Reason they can make only a marginal contribution to the

energy needs of a growing industrial civilization.

•Mineral resources : By 2100, oil and natural gas reserves will

likely be exhausted. This leaves coal and nuclear energy.

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CHALLENGES OF NUCLEAR POWER

PLANTSJust like any other power plants Nuclear plants also have challenges as follows:

• Nuclear plants require a relatively higher upfront capital cost investment

compared to other energy sources.

• Proliferation concerns since breeder reactors yield products that could

potentially be diverted and turned into atomic weapons.

• The spent fuel waste is highly radioactive and has to be carefully stored for

many years or decades after use. This adds to the costs of operation and

maintenance of the plants. Globally, there is currently no disposal

mechanism for radioactive and chemical materials.

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CHALLENGES OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Cont’d

• There are increased global safety concerns especially after nuclear

accidents of Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986) and Fukushima, Japan

(2011). The concerns are even higher within the Kenyan public who

are not adequately informed about nuclear energy.

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MITIGATION FACTORS FOR NUCLEAR POWER CHALLENGES

• It is important to note that the international nuclear industry through

comprehensive RD&D has substantially addressed most of the

concerns and challenges that traditionally undermined nuclear energy

as a form of economical and safe energy. This can be evidenced in the

fact that in 2005, the IAEA was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace

Prize for ‘its efforts in preventing nuclear energy from being used for

military purposes and most importantly for ensuring that nuclear

energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way’.

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Some of the measures to mitigate the challenges include:

(a) Comprehensive nuclear laws, regulations and treaties, in reactor

designs, operator training, public awareness, emergency

preparedness, enhanced safety, additional safeguards and security

standards, all which have greatly reduced probability of occurrence of

nuclear accidents and negative impact on public environment, health

and safety.

(b) New reactor types have been designed to make it physically

impossible to melt down. This is due to elaborate regulation

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(c) Development of small and medium sized reactors (SMRs) provides an

attractive and affordable nuclear power option for many developing

countries with small electrical grids, insufficient infrastructure and limited

investment capability. Multi-module power plants with SMRs may offer

energy production flexibility that energy market deregulation might call for

in future in many countries. SMRs are also of particular interest for co-

generation and many advanced future process heat applications. Some

SMRs designs reduce obligations of the user for spent fuel and waste

management and offer greater non-proliferation assurances to the

international community.

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(d) Heightened vigilance by the IAEA and the international community

has ensured recent nuclear energy research, development and use are

increasingly for peaceful purposes and not military use.

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CONCLUSION

• Today's global challenge is to develop strategies that foster a sustainable

energy future less dependent on fossil fuels.

• As a proven and environmentally benign technology and with its potential

as a sustainable long term energy supply into the distant future, nuclear

power can be an important contributor to sustainable development. It is a

multipurpose power source providing base load electricity and offering a

wide range of potential applications in the non-electric sector.

• But for nuclear power to play its full role in a less fossil dependent age, its

acceptance and understanding by the public is vital. Kenyan’s must have

confidence in themselves to achieve nuclear energy status

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CONCLUSION

Nuclear Power is Key to achievement of Kenya’s development

agenda of providing affordable quality energy for all Kenyans

by the year 2030.

Quote

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now

is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.

By Marie Curie (7 Nov 1867 – 4 Jul 1934),

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Thank You

Questions ?

Documents

THE ROLE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR KENYA’S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY Presented By Eng. Collins Juma Technical Director and Head of Secretariat Kenya Nuclear Electricity