Kenya, South Korea eye pact on nuclear programme

The government has gone flat out in seeking foreign partners to support Kenya’s nuclear sector, including the requisite regulatory functions.

A third of the almost 30 countries currently considering nuclear power are in Africa, with Kenya hoping to have its first nuclear power plant in 2037.

On Friday, Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority (KNRA) officials held talks with South Korea nuclear experts with a view to hammering out a cooperation agreement.

The meeting discussed regulatory aspects of Kenya’s nuclear power programme and how the country could benefit from South Korea’s experience.

The KNRA team led by board chairman Omondi Anyanga and Director General James Keter said Kenya’s successful nuclear power debut will largely depend on funds, adequate regulatory controls and development of manpower.

“Korea has supported Kenya in many ways. We look forward to productive engagements in many respects. There’s a lot to learn from South Korea’s journey with nuclear,” Mr. Keter told the press after the meeting.

The Director General said South Korean institutions had in the past trained many nuclear experts from Kenya and other African countries.

Mr. Anyanga said KNRA will work close with international partners, research agencies, academic and the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency to prepare adequately for what he termed Kenya’s nuclear take-off.

The visiting delegation comprised Yunhwa Choi, the Programme Manager of Korea’s Nuclear Nonproliferation Education and Research Center (KAIST), Prof. Sung Yim KAIST Vice President, Dr Bum-Jin Chung of Kyung Hee University who is also the President of the Korea Nuclear Society and Dr In-Cheol Lim, Vice President of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

Bum-Jin, who has previously made a substantial input towards Rwanda’s nuclear pursuits, said part of their interest was to understand the level Kenya had reached in building its regulatory infrastructure.

“Protection of the public and the environment is key in any nuclear undertaking,” he said while citing the experiences from different countries.

KNRA Director for Licensing Shadrack Kiti said consultations were ongoing with a view to having Kenya ascend to relevant treaties such as the convention on nuclear safety, the convention of early notification of nuclear accident, the convention on assistance in the case of nuclear accident and radiological emergency and joint convention on safety of spent fuel management and the safety of radioactive waste management of 1997.

“In our regulatory development journey, KNRA is seeking financial support on viable financing options towards regulation development since such a process is capital intensive. We are seeking a memorandum of understanding with KAIST, Hyung University and the Korean Nuclear Society for training purposes,” Mr. Kiti said.

Experts say there are concerns about the continent’s readiness to harness nuclear and get it right. The meeting came barely a month after Kenya kicked off a special post-graduate training on nuclear and radiation safety.

The post-graduate course for Africa’s English-speaking countries is being overseen by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority in conjunction with local universities and hospitals.