NAIROBI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is considering putting in place a law to fast track development of nuclear energy, a government official said on Thursday.
Simon Kachapin, chief administrative secretary of the ministry of energy and petroleum, told journalists in Nairobi that the nuclear regulatory bill was recently passed by cabinet and will soon be tabled in parliament.
"The law will provide a framework that will guide and provide oversight for the implementation of nuclear power plants as per international standards," Kachapin said during the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification presentation ceremony for the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB).
Kachapin said Kenya is currently assembling all the necessary infrastructure so that it can begin construction of a 1000-megawatt nuclear power plant by 2022.
KNEB is further undertaking sites studies geared at identifying potential sites for nuclear power plants in Kenya.
Kachapin said the ideal site will ensure Kenya exploits nuclear power in an environmentally sustainable way.
He said nuclear power will help Kenya further diversify its sources of energy that is currently dominated by hydro, geothermal and thermal power energy.
The official observed that Kenya also needs to rely on nuclear power to reach the goal of having an electricity generating capacity of about 30,000 MW up from the current estimate of 2,400 MW.
Kachapin said the government has already made good strides in the endeavor to commission nuclear power plant including review of its nuclear power program report card by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The nuclear agency said it is undertaking stakeholder involvement activities to sensitize Kenyans on nuclear technology and its intended use for power generation.
