Heed UN caution on nuclear energy quest

The government may have stumbled in its quest for nuclear energy after the United Nations cautioned it last week against entering the venture.

While Kenya’s ambitions have been driven by her quest to meet her increasing energy needs, critics have argued against the move, saying it is expensive and they doubt the country can even afford it.

The government announced plans to start generating nuclear energy for her electricity needs by 2020.

It plans to construct a plant along the Coast and is awaiting approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

While we believe it is prudent to look for other alternative and viable energy sources, given that the hydro-electric power that provides around 65 per cent of the country’s needs is not reliable especially during periods of drought, the government should adopt cheaper and renewable sources.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, Kenya has other sustainable sources of energy that can meet her needs. We believe that the agency has a point as what the government needs to do is to invest more in renewable energy sources like wind and geothermal.

It should also heed the caution from the UN that the cost of decommissioning a power plant is quite prohibitive and that there are no permanent disposal sites form nuclear waste.

The UN says that the cost of decommissioning a nuclear plant would currently cost close to a trillion shillings, which begs the question; can Kenya afford it?

At a time when nuclear states are encountering a big headache on how to get rid of their waste or the risks of accidents like Chernobyl in Russia in the 80s or Fukushima after last year’s tsunami and earthquake, the government should listen keenly to advice from the UN.

The world is currently wary about nuclear energy ambitions and Iran has been slapped with sanctions while Israel is planning an attack on Tehran’s nuclear plants as it believes their intentions are not energy, but armaments.

Instead of adopting an expensive energy venture that we may not afford in the long run, the government should tap natural and renewable energy sources.