African nations pursue nuclear energy, but many are not ready

African nations pursue nuclear energy, but many are not ready
Koeberg nuclear power station in South Africa Wikimedia Commons
African nations pursue nuclear energy, but many are not ready
Koeberg nuclear power station in South Africa Wikimedia Commons

African nations pursue nuclear energy, but many are not ready

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Because of the growing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima power plant, we’ve spent the past week discussing nuclear energy around the globe.  Today we conclude with a look at Africa. Many African nations have long struggled to find reliable energy sources. Recently, nuclear power has emerged as a popular solution.  At least 10 African countries plan to build their own nuclear power plants, but many lack the technical know-how, financial resources or reliable security to make it work. 

Igor Khripunov is a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia. He’s written about nuclear power in Africa. And we began by talking about the one African nation that’s had some success with nuclear energy…South Africa.