Kenya Civil Nuclear Power Opportunities

Civil Nuclear Power Opportunities in Kenya

The nuclear energy project will allow Kenya to retire its heavy fuel operating power plants and meet its emission reduction targets.The U.S. and Kenya have been negotiating an MOU on U.S.-Kenya Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation since 2019. When concluded, the MOU will enable the two governments to cooperate, among other things, on civil nuclear infrastructure development, human capital and workforce development, as well as on nuclear research, safety, security, and nonproliferation efforts.

With the help of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Kenyan Nuclear Power Energy Agency (NuPEA) has carried out some preliminary work, including a pre-feasibility study, human resource development, site selection, environmental assessment, regulatory framework development, and public engagement.  

The project would likely be implemented via a turnkey solution which would call for a consortium of companies specializing in the various aspects of the project.  Opportunities will also exist in capacity building, consultancy & project management, regulatory expertise, and workforce development. U.S. technologies, such as small modular reactors, stand a good chance given the intended size of the initial project, Financing of the project is a major hurdle, as Kenya has not budgeted for it. Options under consideration include: G2G arrangement, PPP, or a Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer (BOOT) model. 

Events:

Kenya is expected to send a delegation to the IAEA Annual Conference in Venna, Austria taking place September 25-28, 2002. In addition, Kenya is expected to host the IFNEC Conference in November 2022.  For more information contact: Mary Masyuko, Email: Mary.Masyuko@trade.gov