Regulatory Approaches and Strategies for Licensing the First NPP in Nigeria

Abstract

Regulatory Approaches and Strategies for Licensing the First NPP in Nigeria Nigeria is the most populous nation in West Africa with an estimated population of 155 million based on the 2006 census. The current electricity generation figure stands at 4000 mega watts with the capacity of the national grid being placed at 6000 mega watts built around gas, oil and hydro sources. The projected power requirements by the year 2015 is estimated to require between 28,000 to 32,000 mega watts and in a bid to meet the millennium development goals (MDG’s) the national electricity requirement by the year 2030 is put between 175,000 to 192,000. There are some pre-requisite conditions to be fulfilled before a nuclear power plant can be established in a state. Such pre-requisite conditions may involve existing legislation and regulations on nuclear and radiological safety as well as a store of practical knowledge on handling nuclear and radioactive sources. In this respect, the Nigerian state has made some in-roads via such legislation like the Federal Radiation Protection Service (FRPS) of 1963 (which was established to at the university of Ibadan to keep surveillance of the Nigerian environment and tasked with personnel monitoring, facility inspection, research and training in ionizing radiation), the Atomic Energy Commission Act 46 of 1976(which led to the establishment of two centers of nuclear research namely; the Centre for Energy Research and Training, Zaria, North West Nigeria and the Center for Energy Research and Development, Ile-Ife, south west (Nigeria). Also, two other milestone legislation were passed in 1995 and 1976 establishing the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) and the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) respectively. Prior to the year 2005, the Nigerian state did not have a nuclear program, although, there is a robust and rapidly growing application of nuclear energy in the country in various sectors for peaceful and developmental purposes. Furthermore, Nigeria has also recorded progress in dosimetry monitoring, uranium mining and regulation and licensing of companies that wish to make use of nuclear technology. Nigeria is also a signatory member of various treaties and conventions on nuclear security. On Tuesday, the 18th of January 2005, the former Director General (DG) of the NNRA paid a courtesy visit to the president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, during which, Mr. President challenged Dr. El Baradei and the IAEA to do something about the inadequate power supply (4000 Mega Watts or 4 Giga Watts of electricity) to Nigeria. This was the January 2005 Abuja Declaration by President Olusegun Obasanjo that Nigeria needed to acquire nuclear power plants for electricity generation. Following this, the NNRA organized a seminar to consider the obligations of a country with intentions of establishing a nuclear power plant. Subsequently, another seminar held on nuclear power program (legislative and regulatory requirements) was held on 17th – 20th March 2008 were the NNRA identified the essential elements for a NPP program. The seminar also served as an avenue for the authority to weigh its standing in the projected NPP plan after which a three phased plan was developed to deploy NPP’s for electricity generation by 2017. The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) was to play a key role by offering technical assistance as well as the establishment of a legal framework. Lastly, the perceived challenges of the plan and the timeline for achievement were also reviewed.

Dr. Idris Yau