Nuclear power: Negotiations with Nigeria advancing, says Rosatom

Dmitry Shornikov, The Chief Executive Officer of Rosatom Central and Southern Africa (Pty) Limited announced that discussions for the establishment of a nuclear science and technology centre in Nigeria have progressed and reached an advanced stage.

The above information was stated in Lagos the venue for the Future Energy Nigeria Conference. Dmitry Shornikov who was in attendance noted that the Russian firm signed the project development agreement in October 2017. Shornikov also said, “The cooperation with Nigeria started back in 2009; so, we have been advancing. In October 2017, we signed the project development agreement, which sets the stage for further discussions and if both parties are able to reach consensus, it gives the framework to discuss the engineering and procurement contract.”

According to him, nuclear power is the most controlled and regulated, and the safest source of energy. He went further to say, “We all know that electricity availability and affordability remain a big problem in Nigeria, and sorting out this problem, from our point of view, is a prerequisite for sustainable development of the economy and industries. At the moment, industries in Nigeria experience too many power outages that affect their revenues, and the country’s Gross Domestic Product in general.”

The Rosatom chief said solving the energy availability and reliability problem in Nigeria would help boost the country’s economy.

“This is where nuclear comes very instrumental because nuclear is one of the sources of power that is reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly. The lifespan of a nuclear plant is 80 years,” Shornikov added.