🎬D.O.G.E

THE BIG IDEA
The case for nuclear power in Africa

Despite not being on the receiving end of any of the atomic bombings of WW2, African countries have been slower to adopt nuclear energy than Joe Biden walking up a flight of stairs.

Even slower have been attempts at fully harnessing renewable energy sources on the continent. For context:

• If fully developed, renewable energy sources could exceed demand on the continent by more than 1000 times by 2040 per The Breakthrough Institute.

• The continent holds 60% of the global solar potential

• And about one-third of mineral reserves, essential for developing renewable technologies like geothermal and biomass.

Still, the continent lags in energy generation globally. In 2020, African countries generated a combined output of 831 Terawatt hours(TWh), while the US alone chalked 3,988 TWh in the same year.

The nuclear energy debate

With the difference mostly due to nuclear energy involvement, arguments have come up on both sides:

• With its remarkably high energy density, a nuclear plant required to generate 1GW of power would occupy as little as 0.1km². A solar farm would require 2.8km² and a coal plant would have to burn through 162 tons of coal to produce the same output.

• On the other hand, nuclear projects cost a lot of money and time. It takes 10 years on average to finish a nuclear plant, a venture many estimates say could run a government back between $6 billion to $9 billion

Meanwhile, public health experts have warned against nuclear energy on the continent, citing “an inability to handle the disastrous public health consequences should there be a repeat of the disasters in Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011.

Zooming out: Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, and Uganda have all signed nuclear deals, with Egypt expected to launch its plant in 2028. Experts say the launch will project it to the top of Africa’s GDP rankings. -CCS.

TRENDING
Elon Trump wins the election

The world’s richest man is set up to have an incredibly fruitful four years. Elon Musk spent nearly $130 million through his political action committee (PAC) to help elect Donald Trump and other Republicans this election cycle. In return, Trump has promised him a seat at the table.

Musk's win could come from the 47th president giving him unfettered access to regulatory bodies. Both Trump and Musk said during campaign stops that the tech mogul would be a government cost cutter. Musk isn’t shy about advocating for his interests in Washington. He has said point blank that he would push to get autonomous vehicles on the road, a technology Tesla has invested heavily in. SpaceX itself already has government contracts worth more than $15 billion collectively, but Musk’s biggest heist could be the institution of the D.O.G.E: not the coin, but the Department of Government Efficiency.

SHOWER THOUGHTS

NEWS
Round the continent

• A landslide in the western region of Cameroon has left a death toll of 4 people alongside 50 missing. Three buses and road workers were caught in the landslide.

• Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo is currently causing a stir in the country after he revealed a gold-coloured statue to honour his tenure in office.

• Nigeria’s army chief, Gen. Lagbaja has passed away after a brief period of illness

• Namibia’s path to oil has hit a setback with ginormous gas fields discovered that could hinder offshore oil extraction.

• Read: How Kung Fu is making a comeback among Kenya’s youth.