The first ever Nuscale full scope simulator (E2 Centre), a center of excellence to train Ghanaian nuclear workforce and others from the sub-Saharan Africa region in small modular reactor operations, is ready to be commissioned on Thursday, 16th of January, 2025.

All the needed equipment have been installed by the technical team from NuScale Energy Exploration Center with support from staff of the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (NPI-GAEC) and other stakeholders at a dedicated facility at the Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences – (GAEC).

Already, a team of instructors from NuScale Energy Exploration Center was in Ghana and would be starting a trainer of trainers’ session from Monday 13th to Wednesday 15th January 2025.

Dr Archibold Buah-Kwofie, the Acting Director of the Nuclear Power Institute, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Accra during a visit to the center.

He explained that the facility would help train and educate students from tertiary institutions, non-licensed operators as the prepared towards construction and operations of the Center, which would also be used for public education and awareness creation on nuclear technologies.

Dr Buah-Kwofie said Ghana’s facility had been connected to the NuScale SMR’s Energy Exploration Center at its Headquarters in Corvallis, Oregon, USA, to offer training consistent with the highest international standards of nuclear safety and training as Ghana got ready for its first nuclear project.

He noted that SMR was one of the two nuclear technologies Ghana had settled on to generate electricity to propel its intent to industrialised.

Despite persistent questions about SMRs commercialisation raised by energy experts, it is said that it is a scalable power plant solution incorporating enhanced safety, improved affordability, and extended flexibility for diverse electrical and process heat applications.

NuScale’s SMR for instance uses advanced light water technology and can be scaled to size as a center for public education and awareness creation on nuclear technologies.

Dr Buah-Kwofie noted that each unit generated 77 megawatts, and the plant could hold up to 12 modules giving a total electric energy output of 924 megawatts.

The flexibility of the technology meant that “the modules could be brought online based on demand projections. Each module can be operated independently of each other, making it easy to dedicate individual modules for specific needs,” he said.

The E2 Centre is part of a $1.75 million funding package, which was announced by the US Department of State, under the Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program, in which Ghana has participated 2022.

The funding package is to help the establishment of the facility and to help Ghana develop a welding certification programme to support the nuclear industry.

Through the first program, the U.S. is providing support for stakeholder engagement and other technical support Ghana may need and request from the program.

Ghana signed a couple of cooperation framework agreements last year for both Large Reactor (LR) and a Small Modular Reactor and the government is actively engaging the vendors even though the country’s nuclear programme missed some important timelines.

Even though there is some progress, experts in the energy sector have expressed worry the delay in the formal announcement would push back the timelines set for the coming on stream of the nuclear plant.

Including nuclear energy is expected to help Ghana reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, mitigate climate change, and ensure energy security for future generations.

Ghana aims to integrate nuclear power into its electricity mix by 2034, which is in line with its energy policies.

Already, the country is at the mid-end of the second phase of the nuclear programme having identified a preferred and backup site.

The plant will serve as an alternate baseload power source for industrialisation, address concerns such as the country’s limited hydro resources, potential decline of our country’s gas reserves, potential tariff reduction for industries for desalination, and create employment.

Fifteen responses were received from vendors to the government’s initial Request for Information that was issued in 2021.

The technical team was requested by the government, through the Ministry of Energy, to seek further information through an issuance of a Request for Further Information in 2023.

Based on the evaluation of responses, the government through the Ministry of Energy and the technical team, engaged two vendors for potential deployment of their technologies.

The country is seen by the international nuclear community as a leader on the African continent in the sector.