The Chief Executive Officer of Bui Power Authority (BPA), Ing. Kow Eduakwa Sam, has made a strong case for the adoption of nuclear energy as a dependable complement to Ghana’s growing renewable energy sector.
Speaking to journalists at a workshop organized by Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG), Ing. Eduakwa Sam expressed concern over the current limitations of Ghana’s power mix, which heavily relies on thermal and hydro sources.
According to him, while thermal power is technically dispatchable, its dependence on gas—a resource he described as unreliable—makes it a fragile solution for long-term energy stability.
“We are supposed to be the leaders in solar PV or renewable in Ghana, and we can’t do it without dispatchable power. As the previous speaker said, we have about 30% hydro and 60% thermal. Although thermal is dispatchable, the source of thermal, which is gas, is unreliable,” he stated.
Nuclear Power: The Missing Link
Ing. Eduakwa Sam emphasized that for variable renewable sources like solar and wind to thrive and contribute effectively to the national grid, there must be a stable and reliable backup power source. “We need a very reliable source of dispatchable power, which comes in the form of nuclear power,” he asserted.
He urged all stakeholders in the energy sector to take Ghana’s nuclear power development seriously, stressing that the survival of entities like Bui Power Authority, which focuses on renewable energy, is closely tied to the availability of dispatchable baseload power.“Without that, we, Bpower, who are mainly into variable renewables, cannot even survive on a grid,” he stressed.
Ing. Eduakwa Sam made a passionate call for national commitment to Ghana’s nuclear energy agenda and stated, “So let’s get committed to the nuclear agenda.
The workshop forms part of ongoing national conversations aimed at integrating nuclear power into Ghana’s energy mix, with a long-term goal of ensuring energy security and supporting industrialization.
By Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com