Mombasa — Kenya plans to begin constructing its first nuclear power plant at a cost of $5bn by 2021 as the country seeks to bring down the cost of electricity. An unreliable and expensive power supply is cited by business as a deterrent to investment in East Africa’s biggest economy. The nuclear plant, due for completion in 2027, would add 1,000MW, the nation’s Nuclear Electricity Board’s acting CE Officer Collins Gordon Juma said. The nation generates about 2,299MW of electricity, mainly from geothermal wells and hydroelectricity dams, according to the Energy Regulatory Commission. It intends to increase capacity to 6,766MW by 2020. The government had finished a grid analysis and was now carrying out a feasibility study, Juma said in an interview. It would invite construction bids after settling on a suitable technology and on the site. The government was considering both public-private partnerships and government-to-government agreements as financing options, he said. "When we tal...
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