Nuclear Power Being Examined

... Committee to Prepare Cabinet Memo on Nuclear Power
Kwabenya, May 21, GNA - The Minister of Education, Science and Sports said on Monday that the government had set up a Committee to prepare a cabinet memorandum with recommendations for introducing nuclear power in the country's energy mix.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah said the move had become necessary in view of the country's current problem of inadequate supply of electricity to meet industrial and domestic purposes.

The Minister was delivering the keynote address at a three-day Training Course on the International Legal Framework Governing Nuclear safety, Security, Safeguards and Liability for Nuclear Damage organised by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) in collaboration with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at Kwabenya, near Accra.

Papa Owusu-Ankomah noted that, for many years, the IAEA had assisted member-states at their request in developing their domestic legal arrangements for regulating the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and ionising radiation as mandated by the IAEA's statute.

"In Ghana, there has been the expansion of the uses of nuclear techniques in a variety of fields such as health and medicine, agriculture, industry and environment since the establishment of the GAEC by an Act of Parliament..".

He said among the issues to be discussed by the Committee is the legal, regulatory and legislative instruments.

"This training course is therefore not only timely but also of paramount importance in assisting us to prepare ourselves to ensure that we do not breach any international legal instrument in our quest to solve our problems, particularly by incorporating internal guidance documents of foreign law provisions into our national legislation."

Eighty-four participants comprising personnel from the National Security Council, University of Ghana, Legon, GAEC, Ghana National Fire Service, the media and students of School of Nuclear and Allied Science (SNAS) of the GAEC are attending the workshop.