In the recent Nigerian International Energy Summit in Abuja, Dr. Yau Idris stated that the federal government had announced the bidding process for the construction of a 4000-MW nuclear power plant in Nigeria.
The facility, according to Dr. Yau Idris, who is the Director-General of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Agency, would be the largest power plant in Nigeria if the bids are successful and construction is completed, and it would boost power generation capacity significantly in the West African Country.
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Concerns about Nigeria’s ability to build and manage a nuclear power plant
Given the delicate nature of such a project as well as Nigeria’s odd security scenario, there were worries regarding the government’s ability to execute and manage the proposed 4000 MW Nuclear Power Plant in Nigeria.
In his remarks, Dr. Idris addressed these issues, emphasizing that no one should conclude that the country cannot manage a nuclear plant considering that “There are mechanisms put in place to ensure that any country can build and manage a nuclear power plant.”
The Director-General explained that a total of four units would be constructed adding that the regulatory agency has signed agreements with Russia, Pakistan, France, and South Korea to build the capacity of its staff in manning the nuclear plants.
The federal government of Nigeria has reportedly been trying to diversify Nigeria’s energy mix since 1977. The 4,000 MW plant would boost Nigeria’s present generation capacity to 13,000MW.
