Help Nuclear Regulatory Authority employ requisite personnel
The growing importance of the civil use of nuclear technology in today’s world, particularly in power generation, makes it imperative that every country must pay attention to this technology.
The available literature states that currently, over 80 per cent of primary energy consumption is from the burning of oil, gas and coal and that unregulated emissions from the combustion of these fuels are causing climate change, environmental damage, and the premature death of an estimated seven million people globally each year.
It is said that the continued use of fossil fuels therefore has profound negative intra- and intergenerational social, economic and environmental implications.
Though there is no energy technology that is fully without risk to people or the environment, nuclear has been proven to be the only scalable and reliable low-carbon source of energy.
It is said that nuclear power will be required to play a pivotal role if the world is to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to address climate change and chronic air pollution.
Until proven otherwise, nuclear power has innate energy density, can internalise health and environmental costs and so has numerous sustainability advantages relative to alternative forms of power generation.
The summary of the whole matter is that nations must be serious with the development of nuclear technology and that development can only be achieved with personnel who possess the requisite knowledge and skills.
This is why The Ghanaian Times considers it as bad news the fact that the country’s nuclear development is facing crises as a result of high attrition rate at the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA). (See our lead story).
The Director-General (D-G) of the Authority complains that the situation increases the workload of the limited number of members of staff left behind, especially the inspectors among them who have to be on the field at various places to carry out their duties.
We therefore join the D-G’s appeal to the government to help address that situation as it continues to militate against the country’s nuclear development agenda.
The Authority has a lot to do for the benefit of the whole country but its situation now is akin to the narrative in Luke 10:2.
In that scripture, Jesus the Christ told the disciples He was sending out to evangelise that the harvest was truly great but the labourers were few and so they should pray the Lord of the harvest to send in more labourers for the job to be done.
By applying for 61 personnel for the work to be done and done well, the NRA is saying that it recognises the magnitude of what needs to be for the country to see progress in the development of its nuclear technology.
It is not in doubt that the relevant public officials know this and if that is the case, then the government or the State which has given the NRA the assignment, which can be described as the Lord of the harvest (the giver of the assignment) must answer the prayer (appeal) of the Authority.
That answer must come by way of giving financial clearance to facilitate the employment of the 61 personnel currently needed by the NRA to smoothly carry out its mandate.
That said, the NRA should discuss with the relevant stakeholders, the government being the major one, how to retain its workers and realise the benefits of nuclear energy for the country, including its affordability.
