nuclear-news

Kenya. Senator Omtatah to take the Uyombo nuclear power plant war international

Environmentalists say geothermal not exploited and as they stopped the Lamu coal-fired plant, they will stop this one.

Star, BRIAN OTIENO 5 Mar 24

Opponents to visit potential investors, explain why plant unwanted; project ‘will be stopped before they invest’.

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has said he will mobilise environmentalists to fight the proposed nuclear power plant in Kilifi on the international stage.

He said foreign investors pushing for the plant in Uyombo in Kilifi and said they will be stopped before they invest.

“The fight should not be fought from here within. We must take the fight to the doorsteps of the people who want to invest in the project, and stop them before they come,” the senator said on Friday.

He told Uyombo residents they used the mass mobilisation tactic to stop similar plans to establish a coal plant in Lamu in 2013.

“When we reached out to potential investors and told them it would destroy the environment, they withdrew their money and the project died,” Omtatah said.

“Also with this one meant for Uyombo, we must go abroad where the money is coming from and stop it from there.”

The government, through the Nuclear Power Energy Agency (Nupea), plans to set up a Sh500 billion nuclear power plant at Uyombo, in Matsangoni, Kilifi North subcounty………………………………………

Land and Environment Defenders representative Boniface Mwangi said poverty has pushed Kilifi residents to terrorism, extremism and the nuclear power plant would aggravate the problem.

He said the Sh500 billion intended to set up the plant in Uyombo village should be invested in improving the lives of Kilifi residents.

On Sunday afternoon, Senator Omtatah met Uyombo residents after an earlier meeting of the Senate Energy Committee with experts and Nupea officials aborted. It was stopped when it emerged the matter is in court, where environmentalists are seeking an injunction.

Senator Omtatah, the Centre for Justice, Governance and Environmental Action and residents had petitioned the Senate to intervene and stop the proposal.

A Senate Energy Committee report indicated the government is yet to fully tap the geothermal potential of the Rift Valley for more than two decades, he said.

“There are tycoons who took licenses to exploit that potential. Twenty years down the line, not even a single borehole has been drilled to try and generate geothermal energy,” Omtatah told Uyombo residents.

“Nuclear energy is mostly used by countries that are snowy and cold. In Kenya, we have the sun, wind and other sources of energy. We should fully exploit those first,” he said……………………. https://www.the-star.co.ke/counties/coast/2024-03-05-senator-omtatah-to-take-the-uyombo-nuclear-power-plant-war-international/

March 12, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized