Russia Signs Agreement With Nigeria for Nuclear Power Plant

Russia's State owned nuclear company Rosatom has signed agreements with Nigeria to build and operate a nuclear power plant in the oil-rich West African nation battling a nation- wide huge  deficit of reliable electricity and faces security challenges by Boko Haram  militants in the North.
Nigeria and Russia  in 2009 signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of the peaceful usage of nuclear technologies.
This led to Nigeria holding talks  in 2015 with Rosatom to build four nuclear power plants in the country expected to cost  about  20 billion US dollars.

In a press release, Rosatam said "Russia and Nigeria signed agreements on construction and operation of a Nuclear Power Plant and a Research Center housing a multi-purpose nuclear research reactor on the territory of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The parties also signed a roadmap for cooperation in the field of peaceful usage of nuclear technologies."

"On behalf of ROSATOM the documents were signed by Anton Moskvin, Vice president for Marketing and Business Development of Rusatom Overseas (a part of ROSATOM). The signer on behalf of Nigeria was Simon Pesco Mallam, Chairman of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission."

The Signing Ceremony was attended by Director General of ROSATOM Mr. Alexey Likhachev and Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the international organizations in Vienna Ms. Vivian Nwunaku Rose Okeke. 

 

Speaking at the signing ceremony Anton Moskvin  said "The development of nuclear technologies will allow Nigeria to strengthen its position as one of the leading countries of the African continent. These are the projects of a large scale and strategic importance, that will determine the relationship between our two countries in the long term".

 

The feasibility studies for the Nuclear Power Plant project and the Research Center construction will include site screening, as well as the determination of key parameters of implementation, including; capacity, equipment lists, time frames and stages of implementation, as well as financing schemes.

 

Both  countries started their partnership in 2009 by executing an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of the peaceful usage of nuclear technologies. Further on, intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in design, construction, operation and decommissioning of the Nuclear Power Plant and the Nuclear Research Center housing a multi-purpose nuclear research reactor were signed.

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, distributes an average of 4,500 megawatts of electricity. Half the output of the Egbin power plant, the nation’s biggest, is lost because of inadequate transmission infrastructure, its chief officer said last month.
Rosatom is seeking to build nuclear power plants in other countries on the continent including South Africa.