If Africa is to ensure it places itself on the path to becoming the future growth market of the world, as many expect it will, nuclear energy needs to be included into its plans, as a lack of energy access is a major hurdle for the continent, Rosatom regional VP of sub-Saharan Africa Viktor Polikarpov said on Wednesday.

Addressing delegates at the one-day nuclear forum on the sidelines of this year’s PowerGen Africa conference, being held in Sandton from July 18 to 20, he explained that 25 of sub-Saharan Africa’s 54 countries were in an energy crisis, with some 625-million citizens without access to electricity.

Only seven countries in Africa have electricity penetration rates exceeding 50%.

“Africa is not developing because of that [energy crisis]. It cannot industrialise and cannot beneficiate its resources,” Polikarpov commented, adding that nuclear energy could address the energy trilemma of economics, security of supply and the environment.

“Nuclear ticks all the boxes: low-level carbon footprint, cheap electricity, economic growth and energy security, [besides others],” he assured, adding that the whole world was on the path of nuclear development.

Currently, 435 nuclear reactors are in use in 31 countries, 70 new reactors are under construction and there are plans to build 158 new reactors globally, all of which lead to ambitions of doubling the installed capacity of nuclear worldwide.

“There are a lot of critics who know everything about the cost [of developing nuclear], but nothing about the value,” he commented.

“The value is huge,” he said, pointing to various benefits, including social infrastructure development, energy security, the development of science and education, job creation, bolstered electricity export options and industry and construction sector development, besides others.

During an earlier session, Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa MD Knox Msebenzi had estimated that, in South Africa alone, the addition of 9.6 GW of nuclear energy capacity to the overall energy mix could lead to the creation of nearly 33 000 jobs.