ANALYSIS OF NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION AND MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Abstract Energy is the biggest challenge of the twenty-first century. We must lift much of the world out of poverty, which will require large increases in energy production while simultaneously curbing greenhouse gas emissions. In order to accomplish this, we must adopt solutions that are based on efficiency, renewable, nuclear energy production and safety, and if it can be demonstrated, carbon sequestration and then adopt the idea which said that “an energy future without a significant contribution from nuclear energy simply isn't an option”. Since renewables are by their very nature intermittent, they cannot have a huge impact unless--and until--we develop adequate energy storage technologies and drastically improve our fragile electricity distribution network. In a developing country like Nigeria where energy demand is far more than the supply due to insufficient power generation, incessant outage of power as a result of failure of power generation plants, due to technical faults and ageing, the use of nuclear power plant provides answers to the problems of electricity generation. Since energy is important for socio-economic development considering safety, economy, reliability, sustainability and even waste management, nuclear energy as an alternative source of energy should be used. The nuclear power option once again is appealing to some opinion leaders in the world. As an alternative to fossil fuels and looming energy crisis, we can find a solution to the problem of climate change, environmental degradation, and fossil fuel dependency, while guaranteeing equitable, sustainable development. Many problems stand in the way of this so called renaissance, not least the mammoth costs involved and the fact that no safe system has yet been devised for the long-term storage of nuclear wastes. Furthermore despite many improvements in the safety of nuclear power plants, worries persist about the risk of nuclear accidents such as those that occurred at Three Mile Island in USA in 1979 and Chernobyl in Ukraine in 1986. However, this alternative source of energy will pose a political problem in that nuclear power plant could be used for both military and economic purposes. It is observed that all attempts, so far, to produce enough electricity power for its citizens have hit the rocks in this country, Nigeria, due to various reasons including inefficiency and corruption. The purpose of this paper is to urge Nigeria (and other countries like it) not to give up its efforts to generate sufficient electric power by the usual traditional methods (coal, solar, wind, etc) but to continue to try until success has been achieved in the short term and to vigorously endeavour to go nuclear in the long term since nuclear generation of electricity is the ultimate in power supply. The paper also shows how the nuclear program has been achieved in some other countries and how Nigeria can follow suit in the development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.