logo
episode-header-image
May 18
17m 29s

A nuclear future for Africa?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Nuclear power is back in favour, as more countries across the world consider ways to cut carbon emissions to combat climate change.

Countries like China and Japan are planning to build more reactors, but should nations in Africa invest in renewable sources of generating electricity, like solar panels, wind turbines and geo-thermal power, instead of nuclear?

We examine how energy generated from nuclear fission has huge advance costs which would mean African governments finding loans from willing investors, but that might cede more economic influence to China or Russia.

We also hear how Amazon, Google and Microsoft are investing in nuclear power, using smaller modular reactors to run data storage centres in the United States, as demand for electricity is expected to surge when artificial intelligence is running at full capacity. Could the developing technology of SMRs prove useful in Africa?

If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: businessdaily@bbc.co.uk

Presented and produced by Russell Padmore

(Picture: The Koeberg nuclear power station, Cape Town, South Africa. Credit: Getty Images)

Up next
Aug 21
Business Daily meets: Spencer Horne
The South African entrepreneur tells us about his experience growing up under the apartheid regime, before securing a scholarship that would take him to Harvard University in the US.He's now returned home to set up Cloudline, an airship company which aims to deliver goods and car ... Show More
17m 29s
Aug 20
Are you a personality hire?
The trend has taken off on social media as it's resonated with office workers around the world. So what value does an extroverted colleague bring to a company? And is it fair, or even legal, for businesses to recruit for specific personality types?Produced and presented by Imran ... Show More
17m 28s
Aug 19
Denmark's "burp tax"
Farmers in Denmark are getting ready for an ambitious new scheme that will transform the country's landscape from 2030.As well as giving land back to nature, the Green Tripartite Agreement will see farmers taxed on the greenhouse gas emissions coming from livestock - the first co ... Show More
18m 50s
Recommended Episodes
May 14
When Nuclear Power Is Cheap—and Safe
We could be on the verge of a nuclear power renaissance. Climate change is one reason: nuclear power remains the largest source of carbon-free energy in the United States. Also, demand for electricity is surging. BCG’s Ben Vannier imagines a future where the promise of less expen ... Show More
32m 8s
Apr 2022
It's Time to Expand Nuclear Power
The calls for nuclear are growing louder. The Biden administration recently announced that it was putting $6 billion toward saving distressed nuclear power plants from closure, considering them carbon-free alternative to fossil fuels. Elon Musk doubled down, not only calling for ... Show More
53m 15s
Mar 2025
Solar energy is even cheaper than you think | Jenny Chase
How prevalent is solar power, really? According to researcher Jenny Chase, it's already displacing fossil fuels in key energy markets around the world. She explains the rise of affordable solar power and dives into how her team tracked its rapid installation in unexpected countri ... Show More
11m 53s
Aug 19
Simon Goes Nuclear with nuclear energy influencer Isabelle Boemeke
“Nuclear” might make you wince—but the real problem isn’t the energy, it’s the branding. Safe, low-carbon, and scalable, nuclear could be a climate hero—if only we told the story right.Isabelle Boemeke is on a mission to change how we think about nuclear energy. A Brazilian model ... Show More
1h 6m
Nov 2024
Is Clean Power at a Tipping Point in Asia?
Our South Asia Energy Analyst Mayank Maheshwari discusses the main drivers behind a shifting electric power landscape in his outlook for Asia energy. ----- Transcript ----- Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I’m Mayank Maheshwari, Morgan Stanley’s South Asia Energy Analyst. There ... Show More
3m 33s
Sep 2024
Ep15: Inside Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant | BG2 w/ Bill Gurley & Brad Gerstner
Open Source bi-weekly convo w/ Bill Gurley and Brad Gerstner on all things tech, markets, investing & capitalism. This week they sit down with Maureen Zawalick (Vice President at Diablo Canyon Power Plant) to discuss the importance of nuclear power, the history and future of Diab ... Show More
1h 18m
Jul 2024
Does Australia have enough water for nuclear power?
The federal opposition has proposed seven nuclear power plants across the country if it wins the next election. But, in the driest inhabited continent in the world, how would it work given a reactor's reliance on water?  
24m 59s
Nov 2024
AI Powers Three Mile Island’s Nuclear Plant Back to Life
Big tech companies are striking deals to bring more nuclear power online to meet the energy demands of AI while curbing surging carbon emissions tied to data centers. Now, one provider of nuclear power is looking to bring Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island plant back to life, after ... Show More
13 m
Dec 2024
Our Energy Future: Balancing climate goals with reliable supply
The world is grappling with the need to hit the global Net Zero by 2050 target which means the net amount of greenhouse gases emitted into, and removed from, the atmosphere is zero by that date. All the while providing safe, secure and affordable energy for citizens. A tug of war ... Show More
32m 39s
Jul 2024
A Radical Reboot of Nuclear Energy
Nuclear power, once the great hope for a clean way to meet the world’s energy needs, fell out of favor decades ago.Brad Plumer, who covers technology and policy efforts to address global warming for The New York Times, explains how one company with a radical idea is now working t ... Show More
25m 24s