Kenya on Friday signed an agreement with three nuclear power firms from Republic of Korea (ROK) on developing nuclear energy in Kenya as parts of efforts to diversify sources of energy.

The Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) said it signed a partnership deal with the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Nuclear Association for International Cooperation (KNAIC) and the KEPCO International Graduate School (K-INGS) to up its plans to establish a nuclear power plant by the end of 2027.

"The partnership deal will enable Kenya to obtain expertise from Korea by way of capacity building, specialized training and skills development, as well as technical support for its nuclear power program," KNEB said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Under the deal which was signed in ROK, Kenya will obtain firsthand knowledge of ROK's nuclear power technology.

The development comes as KNEB is gearing up for feasibility studies to identify suitable locations or potential sites for Kenya's nuclear power plant as well as undertaking reactor technology assessment aimed at settling on the best option in terms of nuclear power plant model.

As part of the partnership with ROK, 16 Kenyan students have been enrolled over the past three years at the K-INGS to undertake masters degree courses in nuclear power engineering.

Apart from the agreement with ROK, Kenya has previously signed nuclear power cooperation pacts with Russia, China and Slovakia. Kenya plans to set up a first nuclear power plant with a capacity of 1000MW by 2027.

Source : XINHUA