Ghana is pursuing one of the most unusual nuclear procurement strategies in history, simultaneously negotiating with the United States and China to build two entirely different types of reactors under two different financing models — a dual-track bet that reflects both the country’s ambition and the constraints that have complicated its nuclear programme for decades.
The selection of the two vendors was confirmed in March 2025, when Nuclear Power Ghana (NPG) Executive Director Dr. Stephen Yamoah announced that framework agreements had been signed with both partners. Under the arrangement, US-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group, working in partnership with Japanese firms, will build Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), while China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) will construct a large reactor with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts. The SMR plant will consist of 12 modules each generating 77 megawatts, for a combined output of 924 megawatts.
The two projects are structured differently from the ground up. The large reactor from CNNC will follow a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) financial model with local equity participation, while the SMRs will be financed through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). Both projects are targeting first power delivery by the early-to-mid 2030s, with NPG setting a goal of adding approximately 1,000 megawatts of nuclear capacity to Ghana’s electricity grid by 2034.
What Each Vendor Is Offering
The US offer centres on NuScale’s VOYGR-12 plant, the only Small Modular Reactor (SMR) design to have received design certification from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In August 2024, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) signed a framework agreement with Regnum Technology Group and NuScale Power to deploy the VOYGR-12 plant, structured not merely as an energy asset but as a regional platform. The NuScale Energy Exploration Centre at the GAEC already houses Africa’s first SMR control room simulator, positioning Ghana as a continental training hub for operators and technicians from across the sub-region.
The US government has invested heavily in creating the conditions for NuScale’s success in Ghana. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has provided more than $579 million since 2014 to support the design and licensing of NuScale’s VOYGR reactor, and Ghana has been part of the State Department’s Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) programme since 2022, which supports Ghana’s goal of becoming a regional SMR training centre for sub-Saharan Africa.
The Chinese offer is different in both scale and structure. In April 2024, NPG signed a framework agreement with CNNC for an HPR-1000 Hualong One reactor and associated grid upgrades. The Hualong One is a proven third-generation pressurised water reactor with operational units already running in China and under construction in Pakistan. Under the financial model being discussed, Ghana would backstop the price of electricity output under a time-limited Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and would purchase ownership of the plant once the PPA term ends. CNNC has separately proposed that NPG take an equity stake during construction and early operation, before eventually buying out the Chinese side.
The Financing Question
Of the two offers, analysts say China’s terms may currently be easier to close. Energy Intelligence has reported that given the limited availability of US export financing from institutions such as the US Export-Import Bank, CNNC’s offerings are perhaps more conducive to Ghana’s current financial position. Ghana lacks the domestic financial resources to fully fund a newbuild nuclear project without substantial support from the vendor nation, and the structure of the Chinese offer, built around a BOT model that defers full ownership costs, aligns more directly with that reality.
Despite this, analysts have described Ghana as the African newcomer nation best positioned technologically and operationally to be the continent’s next nuclear state after South Africa and Egypt. NPG’s institutional development, its IAEA milestone compliance, and its investment in training infrastructure give it a stronger foundation than most comparable countries at a similar stage.
Civil Society Concerns
The vendor selection has not been without controversy. Civil society organisations including 360 Human Rights, SYND Ghana, Centre for Justice, Governance and Environmental Action, and Earthlife Africa have argued that nuclear energy is neither safe, affordable nor climate-smart, pointing to NuScale’s own track record in the US, where a high-profile SMR project intended for the state of Utah was cancelled in 2023 due to escalating costs. They argue that selecting NuScale effectively makes Ghana a testing ground for technology that has not yet been proven at commercial scale outside the United States.
NPG has consistently defended the programme, saying it is being developed under the highest International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety standards and that nuclear power is essential to supporting Ghana’s industrialisation and long-term energy security.
The Regional Dimension
Ghana’s nuclear programme is not being developed in isolation. The West African Power Pool (WAPP) achieved full grid synchronisation connecting all member states for the first time in November 2025, with permanent synchronisation targeted for mid-2026. A synchronised regional grid significantly improves the economics of nuclear investment, because a single large reactor can supply multiple countries via interconnectors, spreading costs and improving the financial case for construction.
The World Nuclear Association’s 2025 World Nuclear Fuel Report forecasts that Ghana and Nigeria will each have 1,000 megawatts of nuclear power in operation by 2038, while Kenya is projected to deploy one SMR by 2040. Whether Ghana meets that timeline will depend on how quickly it can navigate site finalisation, Parliamentary approval and the financing negotiations that remain the most consequential unresolved variables in a programme that began, in concept, in the 1960s.
