FEATURE: Don't allow nuclear power plants in Ghana

By Kofi Thompson

On what is Ghana's 56th Independence Day anniversary, the point needs to be made that no nation that lacks a maintenance culture, and whose people are unable to manage even the relatively simple task of the disposal of household and industrial waste, should ever contemplate building nuclear power plants.

The question is: Where exactly do the well-meaning individuals in Ghana who are advocating nuclear power as the answer to our power-generating needs, propose to store the radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants - waste that will remain a danger to generations of our people for thousands of years to come: and will have to be closely-guarded on a round-the-clock basis all that while?

Yet, anecdotal evidence suggests that unfortunately some unpatriotic public-sector employees in our politically polarised society, have no qualms about sabotaging the nation-building efforts of governments of the day to which they are politically opposed.

How can we be sure, for example, that none of the engineers manning nuclear power plants in Ghana, will not be driven to sabotage them because they are opposed to a government of the day?

And what will be the apocalyptic outcome resulting from such deliberate acts of sabotage - in terms of evacuating millions at risk from contamination and where it will be environmentally suitable to move them?

Why do the well-meaning individuals promoting nuclear power plants in Ghana, not rather choose to play an advocacy role for the creation of a favourable business climate in which renewable energy harnessed from the sun and the strong winds off our coastline by private-sector players, supplement energy provided by thermal power plants in Ghana?

And in a society in which corruption is rife, and in which whistle-blowers are treated like common criminals, who will expose corrupt procurement deals resulting in shoddy work carried out in building nuclear power plants and routine maintenance contracts at those nuclear power plants, for example?

Since it is a world leader in the building of giant wind-power plants, what stops us from doing a deal with the best-resourced state-owned wind-power plant builders in China, to build the world's biggest wind-power farm off our coastline to provide say 10,000 megawatts of electricity?

Could we not pay for such a world-beating wind-power farm by doing a batter deal - exchanging the cost of their construction with access for China to blocs in oilfields off our shores: which in any case will only end up being given to multinational oil companies for a pittance in royalty payments to Ghana, because signing the far more lucrative production-sharing agreements do not serve the interests of the few powerful individuals with greedy ambitions who dominate Ghanaian society?

Could a similar deal not be structured with Scottish companies that lead the world in harnessing the power of ocean waves, to generate renewable energy from the powerful Atlantic Ocean waves off our coastline?

We are also blessed with abundant sunshine. Instead of opting for expensive and potentially dangerous nuclear power plants, why not make it possible for the owners of buildings in Ghana to be in a position financially (through dedicated interest-free loans from the banking system and tax exemptions for example) to afford the initial outlay enabling them purchase solar power systems for those buildings - to supplement power supplied them from the national grid?

Will that not help cut down electricity bills for millions in Ghana - and ensure that they are not inconvenienced when national grid power outages occur, too?

And will all the above not enable ours to become an energy-efficient economy - a prerequisite for becoming truly competitive globally?

With such renewable energy alternatives available to Ghana and its people, we must never allow nuclear power plants to be built in Ghana - just because it will benefit the privileged few fronting for overseas nuclear plant builders and those state officials who will approve and sign contracts for their construction.

That will be a grave error of judgment on the part of civil society - the consequences of which could turn out to be too dire for one to even contemplate. A word to the wise...

Email: peakofi.thompson@gmail.com