Nuclear agency seek’s Kenya’s approval of safety conventions

The Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA) wants the Kenyan government to adopt global nuclear safety conventions.

This comes even as Kenya, which hosted the US – Africa Nuclear Summit in August, races to build its first ever nuclear power plant, which is planned to be built in Kilifi County at the Coast.

NuPEA was established by the Energy Act of 2019 to develop Kenya’s nuclear power programme and to coordinate capacity building, research and development in the energy and petroleum sectors.

A team from NuPEA and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team on legislative assistance mission held a meeting with the National Assembly’s Energy Committee on Tuesday where they lobbied the government to adopt the four conventions.

During the meeting, discussions focused on the safe and peaceful applications of nuclear energy and the criticality of having a strong legislative framework.

We emphasized the need for Kenya’s ratification of the four nuclear safety conventions to enhance nuclear governance both nationally and internationally. Both committees expressed their commitment to continuous supporting this mission.

nupea

There are four nuclear safety conventions, namely;

Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident

The Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident, adopted in 1986 following the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident, the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident establishes a notification system for nuclear accidents which have the potential for international transboundary release that could be of radiological safety significance for another State.

Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency

The Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency adopted in 1986 following the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident, sets out an international framework for co-operation among States Parties and with the IAEA to facilitate prompt assistance and support in the event of nuclear accidents or radiological emergencies.

Convention on Nuclear Safety

The Convention on Nuclear Safety aims to commit Contracting Parties operating land-based civil nuclear power plants to maintain a high level of safety by establishing fundamental safety principles to which States would subscribe.

Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management

The Joint Convention is the first legal instrument to address the issue of spent fuel and radioactive waste management safety on a global scale. It does so by establishing fundamental safety principles and creating a similar “peer review” process to the Convention on Nuclear Safety.

Kenya plans to start construction of a 1,000MW nuclear power plant in 2027. The plant’s construction is expected to extend into the mid-2030s and cost more than Ksh600 billion.

The nuclear plant has raised controversy especially among the locals who raised numerous issues against its construction, including safety of nearby residents.

NuPEA has however started stakeholder engagement with locals to get the support of the local community ahead of the commencement of the construction of the nuclear plant.

brian@theenergyreview.com