By Aisi Atiti
The current global coronavirus pandemic highlights the need for a turn towards more sustainable energy sources. It has shown the dangers posed by changes to the climate and how the interconnectivity of the global economy calls for a coordinated approach to climate control.
Nigeria’s energy sector still face supply challenges seven years after reforms aimed to improve investment and development. Despite Nigeria’s massive gas reserves and thermal power plants, electricity generation has hovered below 5,000MW for years. The inadequate generation has increased calls in many quarters for the adoption of nuclear energy.
The government have previously floated the idea of building a nuclear power plant. While many do not classify nuclear power generation as a renewable source, it, however, does not produce as much carbon emission when compared to fossil fuel generators. Nuclear power plants use uranium as fuel by splitting the uranium atoms in a reactor, in a process called nuclear fission, with the resulting heat used to generate electricity. Nuclear power is one of the most structured and dependable sources of energy. Cheap nuclear power has been a driving force behind industrialisation globally.
Unlike other energy generation sources that are easy to modulate, nuclear reactions are in operation until the radioactive material has been exhausted. This quality demands a steady demand to utilise the energy generated; as a result, there must be a capable grid to evacuate this power. Over the years, there has been little to no investment in Nigeria’s electricity grid, leaving it incapable of transmitting the energy generated by the installed power plants. This lack of grid capacity has been one deterrent to nuclear energy advocacy in the country.
However, things might change on this front. Currently, the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) of the federal government via the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme aims to increase supply to 7,000MW and 11,000MW by 2021 and 2023 respectively. Achieving this will require an upgrade of the grid transmission infrastructure.
Would this potential upturn in transmission capacity renew the government’s nuclear ambitions?
In the past, nuclear energy accelerated industrialisation through the provision of cheap power. Despite nuclear energy being cheap, nuclear energy is one of the most capital demanding and time-intensive power generation sources. In comparison, renewable energy costs are declining meaning that solutions like solar PV now take precedence over nuclear energy. The Federal Government has a Nigeria Electrification Project that heavily focuses on off-grid electrification via renewable energy. Furthermore, with Nigeria’s gas reserves, the increased efficiency of gas technology, and ease of construction, gas power plants provide a more accessible option currently when compared to nuclear power.
However, the drive to a clean energy future will demand the decommissioning of fossil fuel generation sources. Doing this would likely be impossible without the addition of substantial nuclear energy globally. Innovations like microreactors and small modular reactors are making nuclear energy more secure and easier to deploy. These innovations tie into a decentralised energy future where modular nuclear solutions are easy to deploy where and when needed. These solutions provide the country’s best bet for nuclear power in the future.
So, does Nigeria still need nuclear energy? Yes, but will it get a Large Nuclear Power Plant? Probably not.