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To Fast Track Nuclear Electricity

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I’m sure the writer means “its first nuclear plant:”

Kenya will soon have the first nuclear plant in efforts aimed at drastically reducing the cost of electricity and attracting international investors to the country.

The reasons seem exact:

[Deputy President Wiliiam Ruto] said, “We want to grow the economy at double digits, deal with unemployment, underemployment by creating more job opportunities in the country.”

Ruto points out that “69 per cent of Kenyans … are not connected,” presumably to the electric grid. On the face of it, this all may seem a little unlikely, but let’s wait and see. Unlikelier things have happened and this could be very good for Kenya.

For further research, look at the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board. Mandate: “To fast track the development of Nuclear Electricity generation in Kenya.” Anyone can put up a web site, of course, but still, it points at serious intent.

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From The Financial Times:

Germany’s exports would have been €15bn higher last year if its industry had not paid a premium for electricity compared with international competitors, according to an analysis published on Thursday.

It gets worse:

Almost 60 per cent of the total loss (or €30bn) came in energy-intensive industries: paper, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, non-metallic mineral products and basic metals.

And worse:

Smaller companies were disproportionately affected, the analysis found. Unlike heavy energy users such as BASF and ThyssenKrupp, small companies are not eligible for exemptions from the energy bill surcharges that cover the costs of the move to clean energy.

The President of BASF has some very tart things to say, but I’ll let you read that on the site. Interestingly, the story does not mention nuclear energy at all. Which is correct – nuclear energy has nothing at all to do with this, its absence has everything to do with it.

Hard to work up any schadenfreude. This is just awful.

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Engineer-Poet said…
"Hard to work up any schadenfreude. This is just awful."

Somehow, this lesson has to be learned.  Germany made the mistake, Germany needs to learn the lesson.  Its neighbors to the east appear to have learned, and are going the way of France.  Finland is showing its impatience with AREVA and has signed with Rosatom.  These things are already sorting themselves out.
March 1, 2014 at 9:53 AM
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