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We’ve no guideline on nuclear energy — NERC

By on May 17, 2015

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said the talks between Nigeria and Russia’s Rosatom to build nuclear power plants in the country are ambitious but the nation does not have a specific framework for the generation of energy from nuclear sources.

An international media organisation had reported last month that Nigeria was a step closer to building four nuclear power plants at an estimated cost of $80bn.

It was reported that the country had signed an agreement with Rosatom to cooperate on the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of an atomic power facility, with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Franklin Osaisai, said to have confirmed the deal.

But when our correspondent contacted NERC on Friday, it said there was a system in place for the licensing of companies intending to generate power, but added that there was no specific framework for nuclear power generation.

The Chairman, NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said in a text message to our correspondent, “If anyone wants to generate power through nuclear energy, they will apply for a licence. We have a framework for licensing, but not specifically for nuclear power.”

The first nuclear plant in the country is expected to be operational by 2025.

“It will be increased to four plants with a total capacity of 4,800 megawatts by 2035, with each facility costing $20bn,” Bloomberg quoted Osaisai as saying.

One megawatt of nuclear power can provide electricity for 2,000 average in homes Europea or nearly 333 in Japan.

Rosatom will hold a majority stake in Nigeria’s nuclear facilities, while the rest will be owned by the host states, with roles to be defined in contractual agreements, Osaisai said.

The plants would be financed by the vendor, which would then build, own, operate and transfer them to the government, he noted, adding that the Nigerian government “will enter a power-purchasing agreement for the nuclear plants.”

Though NERC is the regulator of the country’s power sector, Amadi stressed in his response to our correspondent’s enquiry, “We are not responsible for directly managing nuclear energy.”

Nigeria has no experience in developing and operating nuclear power plants but has a gamma facility and small reactors producing around 30 kilowatts for research, Osaisai said on the NAEC website, adding that nuclear power would guarantee long-term energy supply.

“We have an intergovernmental agreement with Nigeria but no concrete decisions have been made,” a Rosatom spokesman was quoted as saying.

One nuclear power plant costs between $5bn and $8bn, a source at the company said. Currently, 80 per cent of Nigeria’s power plants are gas-fired.

Nigeria has since 2004 sought the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency to develop plans for up to 4,000MW of nuclear capacity by 2025, according to the National Programme for the Deployment of Nuclear Power for Generation of Electricity.

The nation had hoped to begin construction in 2011 and start the nuclear power production in 2017-2020.

As of 2004, nuclear power provided 6.5 per cent of the world’s energy and 15.7 per cent of the world’s electricity, with the United States, France and Japan accounting for 57 per cent of all nuclear generated electricity. By 1999, France was reportedly getting more than three-quarters of its electricity from nuclear power.

As of 2007, the IAEA reported there were 439 nuclear power reactors in operation in the world, operating in 31 different countries.

The US is said to produce the most nuclear energy, with nuclear power providing 20 per cent of the electricity it consumes.

France was said to produce the highest percentage of its electrical energy from nuclear reactors—80 per cent as of 2006. In the European Union as a whole, nuclear energy provides 30 per cent of the electricity.

Japan also obtains 35 per cent of its electricity from the atom, while China has the world’s most ambitious nuclear programme, with plans to have more than 50 reactors by the year 2020.

 

 

[Punch]

One Comment

  1. Udom

    May 17, 2015 at 9:29 am

    Nigeria has been dabbling with the idea of nuclear energy as long as I can remember. I suspect the slush money from petroleum blinded every successive government from pushing to build a plant. Ordinarily, this would seem the right step in a normal society where maintenance of infrastructures and machinery is part of the culture or psyche. Unfortunately such mentality is alien to us. Case in point; How many of our buildings have collapsed due to either shoddy construction that failed to adhere to building codes? The persistent issue with marketeers holding the nation to ransom, and causing undue hardships for motorists and industries is another matter. One can directly attribute this to an oil-producing nation’s inability to maintain her refineries. So, we end up paying foreign companies ungodly amount to explore our oil, ship it to their refineries in Europe. To rub salt into the wound, we spend precious foreign reserves to buy and import our own oil. The insanity of our leaders defy logic. So is the passive nature of our citizens who have had to do without electricity while governors and their fellow thieves demand outrageous benefits that are undeserved or heard of in any sane society. We are the only nation that has taken madness in public service to a whole new level. Our roads are in deplorable states. They and our railways fell into abysmal levels of neglect for years. How could any government fail to make roads and railways upkeep priorities when we all know goods have to be moved from their sources to the various markets? I am still in awe about the economic reports touting the nation as the largest African economy, considering the various rules of economics that we’ve flaunted throughout our history post-independence.
    So, we decided nuclear power it must be this time. I would strongly urge the commission in charge to actually cool it. I would advise them to closely study the pros and cons of nuclear energy. Factors to consider are why we need it, how to safely run the plants, what contingency plans would be in place if and when accidents occur, and the proposed locations of the structures.
    One must learn from present and former operators of nuclear plants in order to evaluate the need for going nuclear. Germany which pays dearly for Russian (like most of Europe) gas decided to walk away from nuclear energy. Surely this is a nation with top-notch scientists and technical expertise to run the plants they had. Why did Germany abandon this form of energy? Food for thought. The Germans have now concentrated on solar energy as a viable source of power. Canada has vast wind farms, especially the one located in Montreal. The United States has invested in both solar and wind energy with tidal waves right behind. The Scandinavians have also farmed the North sea. Greenland homes enjoy geothermal energy. These nations are not rushing to build nuclear plants. They are steadily investing in safe, sustainable forms of energy.

    Now, to underscore the point. A nation cursed with selfish and inept leaders will continue to wander aimlessly in the dark. This is the case with pursuing nuclear energy. The abundance of sunshine all over and the bursts of wind in certain parts of Nigeria, including the coastlines have not spiked our nation’s energy policymakers interests in consider these two forms of readily available sources. When exactly are we going to unshackle ourselves from our colonial mentality and learn to think for ourselves? Develop solar and wind energy. Pour resources into manufacturing solar panels and wind energy parts. Train those young, unemployed graduates in sustainable energy technology and create a whole new energy sector that will be here long after Shell, ExxonMobile and the rest of our colonial master’s agents leave when the wells run dry. Let’s start thinking long-term, safely and strategically. Chernobyl ought to give us reason to pause before we dash headlong into a potentially dangerous venture. Have we forgotten Japan? It happened just a few years ago. I’m pretty sure most of our ogas-at-the-top watched both events unfold on television. Being a leader takes more than a title. It involves being selfless, constantly looking out for the least amongst us, being honest and understanding the enormous responsibility that comes with one’s position. The adage, to whom much is given, more is expected has consistently fallen on deaf ears among the majority of Nigerian leaders; especially the governors. They are the first line of defense where the lives of their people are concerned. The welfare of citizens of every state in Nigeria is the top priority of every governor, not the padding of their retirements. One would think having heard the outcry against their collusion with state assemblies those shameless “leaders” would do the right thing and return the undeserved pensions. The amount they absconded with so far could have formed the basis of foundation for renewable energy. Let’s continue to remind them of their lack of leadership and integrity by demanding they return our money back to the state treasuries. Nobody underserved retirement benefits after eight years in a state house. Even less so with the sorry states some of those thieves left behind. Shameless lot.
    We need sustainable, safe energy, not nuclear energy.