Nigeria has signed agreements with Russia covering the construction and operation of a nuclear power plant (NPP) and a nuclear research reactor and associated research facilities, Russia’s State-owned nuclear group Rosatom has announced.

The two countries also signed a cooperation roadmap covering the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. On behalf of Nigeria, the agreements were signed by Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) chairperson Simon Pesco Mallam. For Russia, the signatory was Rusatom overseas marketing and business development VP Anton Moskvin. The signing ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi.

“The development of nuclear technologies will allow Nigeria to strengthen its position as one of the leading countries of the African continent,” affirmed Moskvin. “These are the projects of a large scale and strategic importance, which will determine the relationship between our two countries in the long term.”

This is the latest step in the development of cooperation in the peaceful uses nuclear technology between the two countries. This process started in 2009 with the signing of an intergovernmental agreement covering peaceful nuclear cooperation between Nigeria and Russia. This was subsequently followed by further intergovernmental agreements on the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of an NPP and a multi-purpose research reactor.

The next step in the programme will be the execution of feasibility studies for the NPP and the nuclear research centre. These will include site screening and ascertaining critical implementation parameters. The latter will encompass such things as capacity, timeframes, financing schemes, implementation stages and equipment lists. The NAEC has reportedly identified two sites for future NPPs. They are at Geregu, in Kogi State, and Itu, in Akwa Ibom State.

World Nuclear News reports that Nigeria joined the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 1964 and that the NAEC was set up in 1976. The country’s first nuclear reactor, a 30 kW research (miniature neutron source) reactor obtained from China, was commissioned in 2004 (it is located at the Ahmadu Bello University). The NAEC currently operates three nuclear energy research centres. The planned new research reactor will, according to the NAEC website, have a capacity of 7 MW.

In 2007 the Nigerian federal government approved a nuclear power programme technical framework; this was to help address the country’s rapidly growing demand for baseload electricity. The country reportedly plans to have up to 4 000 MWe of nuclear capacity by 2025. To this end, it has sought the support of the IAEA. The global nuclear body has sent three missions to Nigeria, along with other support. Two of these missions took place in 2015 and the third earlier this year.

The two 2015 missions established that the country’s emergency preparedness and response framework were consistent with IAEA standards. The third mission, an IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service peer review delegation, concluded that the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority was a “committed” regulator, striving to continuously improve nuclear and radiation safety in the country.