1. THE ROLE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR KENYA’S DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
Presented By
Eng. Collins Juma
Technical Director and Head of Secretariat
Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) To
THE 20TH ENGINEERS’ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE-2013 VENUE: KISUMU
DATE: 8th -10th May 2013

2. WHAT IS NUCLEAR POWER?
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity.
A nuclear power plant is therefore a facility at which energy released by fission (splitting) of atoms is converted to electrical energy under strictly regulated operating conditions. Nuclear reactors produce, contain and control the release of energy from splitting of Uranium 235 atoms. In electric power plants this energy heats water to make steam which in turn drives turbine generators to make electricity.
The various activities associated with production of electricity from nuclear reaction are referred to collectively as the nuclear fuel cycle which starts with the mining of uranium and ends with disposal of nuclear waste.

3. NUCLEAR POWER TECHNOLOGY Pressurized Water Reactor

4. NUCLEAR POWER IN THE WORLD
Nuclear power plants provided about 5.7% of the world's energy and 13% of the world's electricity, in In 2013, the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) reports that there are 437 operational nuclear power reactors (although not all are producing electricity) in 31 countries, 28 under construction and 222 in the planning stage.
The uptake of nuclear power technology has been growing over time across different countries and regions. Various countries without existing nuclear power technology in their power systems have expressed interest in investing in nuclear electricity production, while developed countries with existing nuclear plants have been expanding their capacities.

5. THE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME
To attain nuclear status, a country must guided by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) milestone approach which requires that a nuclear power programme be developed by the country. The IAEA is an inter-governmental agency which ensures that member States comply with their obligations to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes only.
A nuclear power programme is a major undertaking requiring careful planning, preparation and investment in time, capital and human resources. Planning for nuclear power can take year until commissioning of the first plant.

6. NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME PROCESS Nuclear Power Programme Milestones & IAEA Services

7. KENYA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
The overall national development objectives of the Government of Kenya are accelerated economic growth; increasing productivity of all sectors; equitable distribution of national income; poverty alleviation through improved access to basic needs; enhanced agricultural production; industrialization; accelerated employment creation and improved rural-urban balance.
The extent to which these objectives can be realized on a sustainable basis and environmentally sound manner, is dependent on the degree and economic efficiency with which critical factors of production are made available and combined with each other to produce the desired results.

8. KENYA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
The realization of these development objectives is only feasible if quality energy services are availed in a sustainable, cost effective and affordable manner to all sectors of the economy ranging from manufacturing, services, mining, and agriculture to households.
The Kenya Governments’ national energy policy aims to achieve affordable quality energy for all Kenyans by facilitating provision of clean, sustainable, affordable, reliable and secure energy services at least cost while protecting the environment.

9. ACCESS TO ELECTRICAL ENERGY BY THE COUNTIES
The constitution of Kenya provided for devolution and access to Energy services. In Kenya, it was estimated by 2010 that 22% had electricity connection in their homes up from 4% in 2003; This figures are an indication that access to energy services in the Counties is very limited .
Counties therefore require affordable quality energy for the realization of development objectives.

10. KENYA DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY -KENYA VISION 2030
The country’s development agenda is anchored on the Kenya Vision 2030, which aims at creating “a globally competitive and prosperous country with a high quality of life by 2030”.
It aims to transform Kenya into “a newly industrialized, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens in a clean and secure environment”.
The Vision is anchored on three key pillars: economic, social and political. Energy is a key foundation and one of the infrastructural “enablers” upon which the economic, social and political pillars of this long-term development strategy will be built.

11. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
The critical need for nuclear energy is premised on the fact that, with the rising demand for power in the country due to the accelerated investment in the economy, it is one of the forms of energy that can produce enormous amounts of electricity at a relatively economical cost.
Kenya’s energy demand has been on a consistent rise in recent years and it has become imperative to diversify the country’s energy sources to meet this demand.

12. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
The Ministry of Energy has proposed the use of nuclear energy for purposes of electricity generation in the Draft National Energy Policy. The Least Cost Power Development Plan (‘LCPDP’) has also recognized the need for inclusion of nuclear energy in Kenya’s energy mix.
The Least Cost Power Development Plan (LCPDP) forecasts that the country’s peak electricity demand shall stand at over 16,905MW and peak demand of by 2031 requiring an installed capacity of 21,620MW as a result of the rapidly increasing use for electricity for industrial, commercial and household use.
According to the LCPDP the first nuclear power plant is expected to be commissioned in the year 2022.

13. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX Power Supply Mix for Kenya's System in 2031 as per LCPDP - MW

14. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
The Government objective is to facilitate provision of clean, sustainable, affordable, reliable and secure energy services at least cost while protecting the environment.

15. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Advantages of Nuclear Power cont’d
Nuclear plants are some of the most cost effective sources of power.
It is a clean non- pollutant way to produce energy as it does not produce any GHG emissions. This ensures the continuation of our industrial civilization while protecting the environment
The fuel for nuclear power plants is uranium which is abundantly available as it’s a natural resource. Uranium deposits are not exhaustible for an estimated 1,000 years worldwide.

16. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Advantages of Nuclear Power
Nuclear power is a reliable source of power with an economic life of 70 years with an option of extension of up to 20 years.
Nuclear fuel can be recycled and re- used. This approach would capture the vast amount of energy still remaining in the spent nuclear fuel and reduce on radioactive waste.
Nuclear power plants have one of the highest conversion factors with a sustained plant efficiency of up to 98%.

17. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Advantages of Nuclear Power
In comparison with other forms of energy such as solar and wind, nuclear energy utilizes less land. A site area comparison of the various forms of energy reveals that for a 1,000MW capacity plant, nuclear energy requires 330,000m², solar 33,000,000m² and wind 165,000,000m².
It is the only source of energy that can replace a significant part of the fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas) which massively pollute the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect

19. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Advantages of Nuclear Power
Nuclear power was deployed rapidly to replace coal, oil and gas in the industrial countries, and is eventually being adopted by developing countries .
An intelligent combination of energy conservation, and renewable energies for local low-intensity applications, and nuclear energy for base-load electricity production, is the only viable way for the future
With the new high temperature reactors we will be able to recover fresh water from the sea and support hydrogen production. i.e. desalination of sea water and hydrogenation.

20. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
plants provide low-cost, predictable power at stable prices and are essential in maintaining the reliability of the U.S. electric power system
Nuclear plants also contribute to national energy security and ensure stable nationwide electricity supply
Nuclear energy is not subject to unreliable weather or climate conditions, unpredictable cost fluctuations, or dependence on foreign suppliers. In fact, nuclear energy is a strong domestic as well as international industry, with extensive fuel supply sources.

21. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
They help supply the necessary level of electricity, or "base load generation," for the electricity transmission network, or "grid," to operate
plants provide low-cost, predictable power at stable prices and are essential in maintaining the reliability of the U.S. electric power system
Nuclear plants also contribute to national energy security and ensure stable nationwide electricity supply

22. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy is not subject to unreliable weather or climate conditions, unpredictable cost fluctuations, or dependence on foreign suppliers. In fact, nuclear energy is a strong domestic as well as international industry, with extensive fuel supply sources.
They help supply the necessary level of electricity, or "base load generation," for the electricity transmission network, or "grid," to operate.
Nuclear power plants have long periods of operation. Nuclear power plants are designed to operate continuously for long periods of time. They can run about 540 days before they are shut down for refueling.

23. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
The costs involved in producing electricity at a nuclear power plant, operations and maintenance plus fuel, have been declining over the past decade. In addition, there are no unexpected additional costs.
Nuclear power plants have long periods of operation. Nuclear power plants are designed to operate continuously for long periods of time. They can run about 540 days before they are shut down for refueling.

24. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
Another value of nuclear power, transmission system support, is provision of ancillary services such as voltage support, and play a key role in maintaining the reliability of the grid, a service with value in an unbundled market.
Nuclear power plants have significant additional site value, such as switchyards, access to the grid, ingress and egress, and spare cooling capacity. In many cases, they were planned for more units than were built, providing room to build additional non-nuclear generation.

25. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
Abundant fuel with low cost and stable price. Uranium is a relatively abundant element that occurs naturally in the earth's crust. Uranium oxide is about as common as tin. Compared to natural gas, a fuel also used to generate electricity, uranium is already relatively low in cost and less sensitive to fuel price increases.
And a little goes a long way: one uranium fuel pellet-the size of the tip of your little finger-is the equivalent of 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil.

26. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Bonus Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
Nuclear plants create as many as high-paying, full-time jobs at each facility.
Nuclear plants can create the same number of community jobs to support the plant work force (grocery stores, schools, dry cleaners, etc.).
The average nuclear plant generates $430 million in sales of goods and services in the community.

27. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Bonus Economic Benefits of Nuclear Power
The average nuclear plant generates $40 million in total labor income.
The average nuclear plant generates nearly $20 million in state and local tax revenue, benefiting schools, roads and other state infrastructure.
Nuclear energy costs are more stable compared to other forms of electricity generation, keeping costs low for consumers.

28. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Present Conditions of other energy Resources
industrial civilization runs on energy and 85% of the world’s energy is provided by the fossil fuels, coal, oil and gas.
Coal is found almost everywhere and reserves should last several centuries.
Petroleum: Discoveries of new deposits are not keeping up with consumption and production of oil is about to peak. At the present rate of consumption, reserves are estimated to last a few decades, but consumption is growing rapidly.

29. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Present Conditions of other energy Resources
More than half the world’s oil production today is located in the fragile and politically unstable area of the Persian Gulf, as is an even greater fraction of our future reserves;(With Kenya’s oil discovery this situation may change)
Gas: Reserves are similarly limited and estimated to last for a few decades.
These fossil fuels were laid down over geological times and it seems likely they will have been totally exploited over the few centuries from about 1,850 to 2,100.

30. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Environmental Consequences
In burning fossil fuels, we inject 23 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year into the atmosphere – 730 tons per second. This is significantly altering the composition of the atmosphere and seriously affecting the climate of our planet.
Conservation and Renewable
widespread economic development and enhanced life expectancy on the one hand and finite fossil fuel resources on the other, conservation can only delay the crisis that will arise from the penury of oil and gas.
Energy efficiency and alternate sources of energy can and must be developed.

31. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
Environmentalists are enchanted by the simplicity of solar cells and the pristine elegance of wind turbines, and they refuse to accept the fact that they are quantitatively incapable of supplying the energy required by an industrial civilization.
they are useful alternatives and have important niche roles to play – in remote locations and under special circumstances.

32. IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY IN KENYA’S ENERGY MIX
One kilogram (kg) of firewood can generate 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity. The values for the other solid fossil fuels and for nuclear power are shown in the table below:
Reason they can make only a marginal contribution to the energy needs of a growing industrial civilization.
Mineral resources : By 2100, oil and natural gas reserves will likely be exhausted. This leaves coal and nuclear energy.

33. CHALLENGES OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Just like any other power plants Nuclear plants also have challenges as follows:
Nuclear plants require a relatively higher upfront capital cost investment compared to other energy sources.
Proliferation concerns since breeder reactors yield products that could potentially be diverted and turned into atomic weapons.
The spent fuel waste is highly radioactive and has to be carefully stored for many years or decades after use. This adds to the costs of operation and maintenance of the plants. Globally, there is currently no disposal mechanism for radioactive and chemical materials.

34. CHALLENGES OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS Cont’d
There are increased global safety concerns especially after nuclear accidents of Chernobyl, Ukraine (1986) and Fukushima, Japan (2011). The concerns are even higher within the Kenyan public who are not adequately informed about nuclear energy.

35. MITIGATION FACTORS FOR NUCLEAR POWER CHALLENGES
It is important to note that the international nuclear industry through comprehensive RD&D has substantially addressed most of the concerns and challenges that traditionally undermined nuclear energy as a form of economical and safe energy. This can be evidenced in the fact that in 2005, the IAEA was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for ‘its efforts in preventing nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and most importantly for ensuring that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way’.

36. MITIGATION FACTORS FOR NUCLEAR POWER CHALLENGES
Some of the measures to mitigate the challenges include:
(a) Comprehensive nuclear laws, regulations and treaties, in reactor designs, operator training, public awareness, emergency preparedness, enhanced safety, additional safeguards and security standards, all which have greatly reduced probability of occurrence of nuclear accidents and negative impact on public environment, health and safety.
(b) New reactor types have been designed to make it physically impossible to melt down. This is due to elaborate regulation

37. MITIGATION FACTORS FOR NUCLEAR POWER CHALLENGES
(c) Development of small and medium sized reactors (SMRs) provides an attractive and affordable nuclear power option for many developing countries with small electrical grids, insufficient infrastructure and limited investment capability. Multi-module power plants with SMRs may offer energy production flexibility that energy market deregulation might call for in future in many countries. SMRs are also of particular interest for co-generation and many advanced future process heat applications. Some SMRs designs reduce obligations of the user for spent fuel and waste management and offer greater non-proliferation assurances to the international community.

38. MITIGATION FACTORS FOR NUCLEAR POWER CHALLENGES
(d) Heightened vigilance by the IAEA and the international community has ensured recent nuclear energy research, development and use are increasingly for peaceful purposes and not military use.

39. CONCLUSION
Today's global challenge is to develop strategies that foster a sustainable energy future less dependent on fossil fuels.
As a proven and environmentally benign technology and with its potential as a sustainable long term energy supply into the distant future, nuclear power can be an important contributor to sustainable development. It is a multipurpose power source providing base load electricity and offering a wide range of potential applications in the non-electric sector.
But for nuclear power to play its full role in a less fossil dependent age, its acceptance and understanding by the public is vital. Kenyan’s must have confidence in themselves to achieve nuclear energy status

40. By Marie Curie (7 Nov 1867 – 4 Jul 1934),
CONCLUSION
Nuclear Power is Key to achievement of Kenya’s development agenda of providing affordable quality energy for all Kenyans by the year 2030.
Quote
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
By Marie Curie (7 Nov 1867 – 4 Jul 1934),

41. Thank You
Questions ?