The Executive Director of Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) Dr Stephen Yamoah, has criticised plans to consider floating NPPs, describing the proposal as inconsistent with Ghana’s long-term nuclear development strategy and potentially damaging to the country’s international reputation. NPG was established in 2018 as the Owner/Operator of Ghana’s first proposed NPP.
He was responding to reports that Ghana is considering the deployment of Russia’s floating nuclear power technology as a temporary solution to meet growing energy demand while it awaits the construction of its first NPP.
The Deputy Director of Nuclear & Alternative Energy at the Ministry of Energy & Green Transition, Dr Robert Sogbaji, speaking on the sidelines of the World Atomic Week in Moscow, explained that adopting floating nuclear technology will provide a reliable and sustainable power supply in the short to medium term, helping Ghana address current electricity challenges.
He added that the project will be pursued through a private sector partnership and will operate as an Independent Power Producer (IPP). “We are already having a floating ship – the Karpowership in Ghana, so we are not new to producing electricity from a ship. As we have a Nuclear Regulatory Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency, they have their regulations, and that is what we are going to follow, with guidance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
In June 2014, Ghana’s Karpowership signed a 450 MWe contract with Electricity Company of Ghana to deploy a powership for a period of 10 years. The plant, launched in 2017, is located at Sekondi Naval Base, powered by indigenously produced natural gas. It supplies 26% of Ghana’s total electricity needs.
Ryan Collyer, CEO of Rosatom’s Regional Office for Central and South Africa said Ghana’s decision to adopt floating nuclear power is a crucial step toward achieving a sustainable and affordable energy future. “At this point in time, the current structure that we envisage is likely to be around selling the power. In that way, there are not really large upfront investments required by our clients, and we believe that shortens the time in which nuclear energy can be delivered to a country like Ghana,” he said.
He added: “Even though there are other varied options available for nuclear development in Ghana, the floating unit is the preferred model Rosatom is considering at the moment. I also still believe that Ghana will embark on a large-scale nuclear power project, and I think this is a very good first step in terms of achieving that.”
However, Dr Yamoah warned that diverting from the approved nuclear roadmap could erode international confidence built over years of methodical progress under the supervision of the IAEA. “We’ve come too far to gamble our credibility,” he said. “Ghana without a nuclear power plant is far better than Ghana with a floating nuclear power plant. The nuclear agenda is not a short-term electricity fix—it’s a foundation for industrialisation and sustainable development.”
NPG has reaffirmed its commitment to a land-based nuclear power plant, noting that all vendor assessments, feasibility studies, and technology evaluations completed so far have excluded floating nuclear technology. “No vendor ever proposed a floating system, and NPG has never endorsed one,” Dr Yamoah insisted.
Ghana is preparing to enter Phase Three of the IAEA nuclear milestone process, which involves construction and commissioning, and is moving closer to final site selection and vendor approval for its nuclear power project.
In June 2024, Dr Sogbaji said Ghana has identified two sites to accommodate its first NPP and would identify a vendor country and technology by the end the year. Russia, China, France, the US and South Korea are the leading contenders, he said. “It can be one vendor or two nations; it will depend on the financial model and the technical details,” he said, adding that Ghana aims to add about 1,000 MWe of power from nuclear to its electricity mix by 2034. He said it would prefer a “build, own, operate and transfer” arrangement with room for local equity holding.
However, there may be another factor influencing Dr Yamoah’s rejection of Russian floating technology. In September 2024, NPG and US nuclear technology project developer Regnum Technology Group reached an agreement to deploy a single NuScale VOYGR-12 small modular reactor (SMR) plant in Ghana. The two companies reportedly plan to form a subsidiary company in the near future to own and operate the SMR.
The US has been lobbying hard for nuclear business in Africa with significant efforts being made in Ghana. In March 2022 Ghana joined the US Department of State’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) programme, which was launched in April 2021. “As the US government works with the government of Ghana to lay a strong foundation for a thriving civil nuclear energy sector, US companies are eager to support that ambition every step of the way,” said US Deputy Assistant Secretary Camille Richardson at the time.
In May 2024, US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security & Non-proliferation, Ann Ganzer, announced new civil nuclear cooperation initiative to support Ghana’s nuclear power development, including establishing Ghana as a SMR regional hub. The following August, US DOE and Ghana Atomic Energy Commission’s (GAEC’s) Nuclear Power Institute (NPI) launched Africa’s first regional Clean Energy Training Centre. DOE said the centre will serve as a regional training hub for Ghana and other like-minded African countries considering nuclear energy as part of their economic development, energy security, and decarbonisation goals.
This came after Russia and Ghana agreed to establish a Joint Working Group in 2022 to coordinate and exchange information regarding Russian technological solutions for SMRs during a seminar on SMR technology in Accra organised within the framework of nuclear energy cooperation between Russia and Ghana.
Ghana started its nuclear energy development in the 1960s with the Soviet Union helping to establish the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission to train human resource capacity for the Ghana nuclear power programme. Ghana currently operates a Chinese-designed Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR), which it uses for neutron activation analysis at research institutions, universities and hospitals. The Ghana Research Reactor-1, a 30kW Chinese designed reactor, was commissioned in March 1995 and converted to run on low-enriched uranium fuel in 2017.
