To tackle its power challenge, the Federal Government is partnering ROSATOM, the Russian government-owned nuclear agency. In this interview with AKINOLA AJIBADE, ROSATOM’s Central and Southern Africa Chief Executive Officer Dmitry Shornikov speaks on the benefits of nuclear energy, among others. They met at the at the X1 Atomic Energy Conference in Sochi, Russia.
What informed the partnership between ROSATOM and Nigeria on nuclear energy?
The sector is grappling with problems, such as shortage of gas, irregular power supply, poor distribution network, a development, which has put the industry in a comatose. The country has tried to fix the sector, but to no avail. Even the energy mix introduced by the Federal Government, in conjunction with the Ministry of Power, did not help matter.
To address the problem, Nigeria is left with the option of partnering an organisation, which core competence lies in promoting the energy industry. That is where ROSATOM comes in.
How can Nigeria meet the demand for uninterrupted electricity supply?
Improvement in the supply of electricity in Nigeria is tied to the efforts being made on the issue. The Federal Government has taken critical steps towards improving electricity supply in the country. It has privatised the power sector, built some power stations and lately trying to go into production of nuclear energy for growth. The government is making steady progress towards adopting and integrating nuclear energy, with a view to improving production and supply of electricity to her more than 170million population. Besides, the government, through its Ministry of Power, the Nuclear Energy Commission and other critical stakeholders, signed an agreement with the Russian government on the use and production of nuclear energy in the country. Represented by ROSATOM, the leading nuclear energy producer globally, the Russian government did not leave anyone in doubts on the need to bail Nigeria out of its energy problems. We, at ROSATOM, believe that Nigeria can come out of its energy crises, if she remains committed to the issue of generating nuclear energy, which many countries have keyed into. Through this means, we believe that the country can scale up generation from its less than 5,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity greatly. Beyond this, the use of nuclear energy would help in improving power supply, activities in the manufacturing and other sectors of the economy and, by extension, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
What is the level of seriousness Nigeria attached to the issue of producing nuclear energy?
The government is making steady progress on the issue. This is evident by the aggrement which the country signed two years ago in relation to this issue. We believe that the Federal Government’s gesture would culminate in signing more agreements in the immediate future; that is, the agreements would lead to siting of nuclear energy plants and production of electricity in Nigeria, reputed to be biggest economy in Africa.
Is Nigeria serious about nuclear energy?
Yes, a whole lot of things must be on ground before any country can actualise or practicalise the use of nuclear energy. First, is a well articulated policy, which spells out the reasons behind the issue of generating nuclear power, the megawatts, which the country intends to generate, the distribution and transmission capacity and others as contained in infrastructural provisions of that country in particular. A well-structured infrastructural guideline, are required to ascertain the level of seriousness, which either a public or private entity is having in the course of producing nuclear energy for growth. For instance, the nation or government, which intends to provide nuclear electricity for its people must have taken a position on the issue, showing a reasonable level of involvement of its key stakeholders in the project; prepare its legislative and regulatory; ditto providing a strong human resources and safety programmes.
Others include provision of a bigger funding and financing structures, sites for the construction of nuclear plants, among others.
When will Nigeria and ROSATOM sign the agreement?
The two parties are holding discussions on the issue of production of nuclear energy for growth. Discussions between Nigerian and the Russian Government on the issue have reached an advanced stage and hopefully would lead to success in the long run. ROSATOM would be more interested in building nuclear energy resource centres, a development, which would further take the cooperation between the two organisations forward soon.
Other things that would be taken into considerations include building of nuclear power plant(s), among others, and we are hoping that the partnership between Nigeria and ROSATOM on the use of nuclear energy would provide some benefits to the two countries.
In which other countries do you intend to build nuclear energy centres?
Rwanda is another country, where ROSATOM is planning to build centres, which would help in the efficient and seamless production of nuclear power for the country. ROSATOM has signed an agreement with Rwandan government to achieve this goal. Besides, there was an inter-governmental agreements signed with Rwandan government last year. The firm is planning to replicate the facilities in each of the countries that has reached a conclusion on the issue of generating nuclear energy for its people. The firm is proceeding with negotiations in countries that want to produce nuclear electricity in Africa and beyond. Rwanda is a new comer, as it has not used nuclear energy before and what this means is that a lot of things have to be provided by the country, for the idea to birth into reality. South Africa has embraced the use of nuclear technology and the idea has helped the former apartheid country to improve its electricity generation well. The country has put in place energy mix, with nuclear power providing the much-needed power to grow its economy. It is on record that South Africa produces the highest megawatts (Mw) of electricity in Africa, by providing 40,000Mw, a development made possible by a well-articulated energy mix programme. Egypt is another African country with interest in nuclear energy programme.
How many megawatts (Mw) of nuclear electricity is Nigeria creating?
This is basically for Nigeria to decide. The reason is because Nigeria is a client to be for ROSATOM or better put, the Russian government that is generating nuclear energy. Other countries that have signed agreement with ROSATOM for the production of nuclear energy know their energy needs and go out there to meet the needs. They know the electricity megawatts they needed; so also Nigeria. What I can say is that whatever Nigeria wants, we would do our best to give the country what it needs.
Has Nigeria met all the requirements for producing nuclear energy?
Nigeria may not have met all the requirements needed for the production of nuclear source of electricity. But the country seems to be making efforts in that regard. An agreement was signed on the issue two years ago, coupled with the fact that more agreements would be signed by the two institutions in the near future. However, what I can say is that discussions are on-going between the two parties and hopefully, something good would come out if it.
What is ROSATOM doing to enable people buy nuclear technologies at affordable rates?
The firm has decided to deal with misconceptions regarding the use of nuclear technologies by some countries. We have heard that the technologies, especially the one that is used in producing electricity, is expensive and not affordable. But the cost is not that high as people are made to believe. This is because the use of the technologies is guided by some variables. The cost of a technology, which a firm or country is looking for, is influenced by some variables that are attached to it. For instance, nuclear power plants are not constructed the same way; that is their configurations are not uniform. While some have larger configurations, others do not. Obviously, plants with higher configurations tend to attract more costs than the ones with lower configurations. The same thing is applicable to other nuclear technologies. The cost of the technologies is based on the capacity to carry out the functions, which they are designed for. Many of these beliefs are myths, which often times, have been demystified by experts that are working in the nuclear energy industry globally. We have made people to understand at different fora, that building or provision of nuclear energy technologies is not done through a one-off payment.
What does it take to provide nuclear infrastructure?
It takes a lot of efforts to provide the infrastructure for producing nuclear energy or any other nuclear products. Normally, a period of five years is required to build nuclear power infrastructure and another five years to construct power plants. This implies that payment, or better put, funding for the nuclear power projects would be spread across 10 years, a development, which is contrary to the beliefs held in some quarters that payment for nuclear energy plant or production is a one-off thing.
What other misconceptions surround the production of nuclear energy globally?
There are many misconceptions surrounding the use of nuclear energy technologies for production and these misconceptions are held by different people. While some believe that technologies are harmful and destructive, others various views.
Some even said the nuclear energy industry is not well regulated. But I can tell you that it is the most regulated, controlled and safer industry in the world. The reason is that the industry has a system of regulations, which different bodies or arms in the global nuclear energy abide to. There are misconceptions that nuclear energy produces harmful radioactive waves, coupled with the fact that those waves assist in shortening the lifespan of individuals who inhale them. Another one is that nuclear power emits greater and dangerous amount of radiation and that the people living close to the plants are often times prone to lung attack and others. These have been proved wrong by ROSATOM and companies that are working under it through, by educating people on the issue. Many of these things are myths and do not pose some threats to the society, as many people have been made to believe. We have educated people by telling them what nuclear energy can do and what it cannot do.
What is the lifespan of a nuclear power plant?
Nuclear energy plant has a longer lifespan, compared to the plants used in generating other forms of energy. Usually, the lifespan of a nuclear energy plant, on the average, is 60 years. The lifespan of the plants can be extended to 80 or 100 years, depending on the level of maintenance of the plants. ROSATOM has constructed several nuclear energy plants and can confidently say that they have longer life span.
What is the lifespan of other power plants, aside nuclear plants?
As I said earlier, there are power generation plants that have lower lifespan, and a good example is coal power plant. The lifespan of a coal power plant is usually 20 years, which means that every two years, one must have a cash flow to ensure continuous maintenance of the plant. To ensure that the coal power plant operates seamlessly, it must be maintained continually. When you add the cost of maintaining a coal power plant within a short period of time, it is a lot of money. This aside the fact that the plant generates fewer megawatts compared to a nuclear energy plant that produces thousands of megawatts(Mw) of electricity.
In what way can nuclear energy technologies improve the growth of Nigeria’s agricultural sector?
Nuclear technologies would help to improve agricultural growth in Africa, and countries, such as Nigeria, Zambia, Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana, and Cote d’Voire are going to benefit a lot. The reason being that those countries practise agriculture substantially and would need the technologies to improve the health of their farm produce. Once those countries can identify areas where they need the technologies in their farms and appropriately apply them, the better for the growth of the sector.To tackle problems, such as pest, that are inbiting the growth of agricultural produce, ROSATOM has introduced radiation centeres in some regions. The centres would help in improving the quality of the stored farm produce.
What is the purpose of this exhibition?
The main purpose of this exhibition is to promote the use of nuclear energy and other things that are associated with it. Besides generating electricity for people, nuclear technologies provide other functions in the society. These functions in one way or the other help in improving the quality of life of the people.These functions are brought to the knowledge of the people through education, which is in line with the theme of the exhibition.
There are several ways in which nuclear technologies help in improving the standards of life of the people, as stated in the theme of this year’s Atomic Exhibition.
First, the technologies help in providing a clean and affordable source of energy. Unlike gas and other energy sources, nuclear energy is cheaper, healthier and easier to access by the people. Secondly, nuclear energy does not produce radiations. By this, the users of nuclear energy have been saved from radiation, caused by emission of harmful chemicals like carbon dioxide and others.
Thirdly, the technologies offer medical solutions to the issues that affect the people. In this case, they help in the treatment and prevention of cancers and other life-threatening diseases in the world.
Fourthly, they offer great potential for the development of the agricultural sector. The technologies assist in destroying pests that are inhibiting the growth of the agricultural produce, when they are well applied. When this happens, the life span of agricultural products is increased; ditto the individuals who use the products for their development. Fifthly, the technologies help in reducing climatic problems globally. Issues, such as emission of carbon dioxide, oil pollution, and water pollution, are dealt with by the rightful usage of nuclear technologies.
