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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has given Ghana the green light to produce power from nuclear energy. This comes almost five decades after the country opened negotiations with the international body on the matter. The Chief Director of the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP), Professor Thomas Akabsaa, told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS in Accra that the agency, which is a global intergovernmental body promoting peaceful use of nuclear energy, approved the request earlier this year. "We also got their permission to establish a Nuclear Energy Planning and Implementation Organisation (NEPIO) and we have gotten that done. The organisation is at the GAEC and the ministry is coordinating its activities," Prof. Akabsaa said on November 26. The Nuclear Regulatory Power Bill, which will give legal backing to the implementation of the national nuclear energy plan, has also been approved by Cabinet and is now with Parliament for final approval, the Chief Director added. He explained that in the first phase of the programme, the ministry would aim at producing 700 megawatts (MW) of electricity from nuclear energy before increasing it to 1,000MW in subsequent years. The 700MW will complement the country's two main energy sources - hydro and thermal - which together give the nation an installed capacity of 1,960MW. Although interest in nuclear power is picking up, the chief director emphasised that the country's first electricity from nuclear energy should not be expected soon but in the next three to five years, since the processes leading to real production are cumbersome. A successful generation of energy from nucleaer will make Ghana the second country in Africa to South Africa to generate energy from that source. It will also put the country in a pedestal similar to the likes of China, Bulgaria, Japan, Britain and Saudi Arabia, which have various nuclear plants producing power for their industrial, commercial and household uses. Ghana�s first attempt at getting international approval to generate power from nuclear energy started in the 1960s but was later shelved following the overthrow of the government of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, who masterminded, in 1966. The move was, however, renewed in 2006 when Cabinet adopted a proposal for Ghana to go nuclear, which consequently led to the resumption of negotiations between the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) and the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum (MoEP) on one side and the IAEA on the other �to seek approval and guidance on the country's nuclear energy plan. IFEJ budget advocacy forum The Chief Director of MoEP spoke to the paper on the sidelines of a four-day advocacy forum on the 2015 budget in Accra. The forum was organised by the Institute of Financial and Economic Journalists (IFEJ) and the Ministry of Finance. This year's forum brought together specific sector ministers, heads of state institutions and experts in various areas of the economy to dissect key policy proposals in the budget, which was presented on November 19. Siting of nuclear plant The approval of the country's nuclear energy programme and the subsequent establishment of the NEPIO means that the stage has been set for officials from the GAEC and the MoEP to commence feasibility studies into the establishment of a nuclear reactor and plant, which will convert energy released from the nucleus of an atom through nuclear fissions into nuclear power. The location of the plant is key, given that its damage is costly and also has catastrophic effects on the country. The Chief Director of the Energy Ministry explained that a committee in charge of siting the nuclear plant had chosen three places nationwide, out of which one preferable area will be selected to host the plant. "Obviously, the places are all outside populated areas but closer to water, and those contending sites are going to be analysed cost-wise to arrive at the best one," Prof. Akabsaa said, declining to mention the exact locations of the places for security reasons.