Namibia not ready to play in the nuclear league – IPPR

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says Namibia currently has no resources to move into the nuclear power production sector because the industry is dominated by major world powers.

“It is unlikely that Namibia can devote the resources required to move into a market with such high barriers to entry, starting from zero,” says the think tank.

Discussions around nuclear production in Namibia centre around the country being one of the largest producers of uranium in the world.

“It is understandable that Namibian politicians link uranium production with nuclear power, and ask why not take advantage of being one of the world’s top producers of uranium to become a user of nuclear power, but having uranium plays almost no role in developing the technology and skills necessary to produce nuclear fuel,” says the IPPR.

However, the IPPR asserts that the country does have the capacity to develop timely skills for when the the industry opens up.

The IPPR notes that there may be advantages to developing technical capacity to put the the country in a position to assess fast-moving developments in the global small medium reactors’ industry.

Small medium reactors are nuclear reactors with a maximum output of 300 megawatts electric (MWE), significantly smaller than traditional nuclear power plants (over 1 000 MWE), which are designed to be built in a factory, shipped to the site and installed – reducing on-site construction time and costs.

During a meeting with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in January, president Nangolo Mbumba said Namibia is seeking investment in nuclear power.

“We want to add value to our uranium for the peaceful development of nuclear energy,” he said.

Chinese companies already own the Husab and RÖssing Uranium mines in Namibia – the world’s number two and number six uranium mines globally.

According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, there is only one nuclear power facility in Africa, South Africa’s Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, which has two reactors.

Globally, 32 countries are home to 440 operational nuclear reactors. Of these, France generates the most electricity through nuclear power, with about 65% of electricity produced in the European nation stemming from nuclear sources.

However, according to projections from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, approximately 80% of all electricity must be low-carbon by 2050 to meet the 2°C target.

Nuclear power is the second-largest source of low-carbon power globally, after hydropower which generates around 28% of all low-carbon power.

Economist Josef Sheehama, however, highlights that the implementation of nuclear power plant reactors cannot be accelerated in Namibia because there is no defined nuclear policy in place.

“Creating a new nuclear policy includes limiting the use of the nation’s uranium, developing the fundamental components of nuclear infrastructure and evaluating the feasibility of introducing nuclear power into Namibia’s energy mix,” he says.

Additionally, a fund for the management of radioactive waste must be established, he notes.

Furthermore, Namibia needs to include plans for nuclear energy in its national development plans.

“Thus, with a well-thought-out plan, Namibia may reap the benefits of nuclear power while mitigating any potential negatives, paving the way for a more optimistic and sustainable energy future,” Sheehama adds.