Dr Yau Idris, Director General, Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), on Tuesday, said the West African country has opened bids for the construction of nuclear power plants that would generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity for the country.
Idris, who made the disclosure while speaking at the ongoing Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja, said: “It is wrong to think that Nigeria can’t manage a nuclear power plant.
“There are mechanisms put in place that ensure any country can build a nuclear power plant.
“Nigeria is trying to deliver 4,000MW of electricity through nuclear power. We are trying to construct four units and we are at the bidding stage.”
Since 1977, Nigeria has been trying to diversify its energy sources, he explained, pointing out that the additional 4,000MW would bring the country’s generation capacity to about 13,000MW.
He says the agency has signed agreements with Russia, Pakistan, France and South Korea to build the capacity of its staff in manning the nuclear plants.
According to Ifeoluwa Oyedele, Executive Director, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited, the industry’s dismal performance is due to lack of synergy across the value chain.
According to Oyedele, the power generation companies could only release about 5,000MW into the national grid due to inadequate infrastructure for transmission and distribution.
By signing up for power purchase agreements with industrial clusters throughout the country, the company is looking at supplying power directly to end-users.
In order to accelerate economic growth, Oyedele said Nigerians need immediate access to electricity.