<\/p>\n
An Uyo-based non-governmental organisation, Policy Alert, has asked the<\/p>\n
federal government to rethink its decision to establish nuclear power<\/p>\n
plants at Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State and Geregu in<\/p>\n
Ajaokuta local government area of Kogi State.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In a statement issued in Uyo, weekend, the group described the proposal as<\/p>\n
\u201ccost ineffective, ill-conceived, environmentally unfriendly, and a<\/p>\n
monumental disaster-in-waiting\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) recently announced that it<\/p>\n
had entered an agreement with Rosatom of Russia to cooperate on the<\/p>\n
design, construction, operation and decommissioning of its first nuclear<\/p>\n
facility in 2025 to produce 1,200mw of electricity with plan to increase<\/p>\n
installed capacity to four nuclear plants producing a total capacity of<\/p>\n
4,800 megawatts by 2035.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
But in the statement signed by its Acting Executive Director and Head of<\/p>\n
Programmes, Tijah Bolton-Akpan, the NGO said that the federal government\u2019s<\/p>\n
plans did not conform with international standards* guiding the<\/p>\n
implementation of civil nuclear programmes across the globe which impose<\/p>\n
collective safeguards and serve as a check on the quality, health and<\/p>\n
environmental safety of the proposed projects.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cThe projects will put several communities and the lives of millions of<\/p>\n
people at risk. The government is also not clear on its plans to address<\/p>\n
civil liability issues in line with the Vienna Convention on Civil<\/p>\n
Liability for Nuclear Damage. In a country like Nigeria with a poor track<\/p>\n
record in the management of power infrastructure across the country, we<\/p>\n
have every reason to be disturbed\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It also noted that \u201cthe process is shrouded in secrecy and appears bent on<\/p>\n
bypassing procurement rules as details of an agreement entered with<\/p>\n
Russian company Rosatom since 2012 have since not been made public. After<\/p>\n
throwing billions of dollars at the power sector over the years with<\/p>\n
little or nothing to show for it, investing a whopping $ 80 billion in<\/p>\n
nuclear energy at this time to solve the problem can only amount to a pipe<\/p>\n
dream, especially if the process for doing so is faulty. Besides, nuclear<\/p>\n
energy is globally recognized for not being economically competitive as<\/p>\n
capital costs remain very high, cost and timeline overruns are common, and<\/p>\n
the relatively long construction period before revenue is returned means<\/p>\n
that servicing of capital costs is often transferred to utility<\/p>\n
consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The statement added that \u201cnuclear energy has been proven to be hazardous<\/p>\n
and damaging to health and environment. More advanced countries that have<\/p>\n
experienced nuclear disasters are still reeling from the human and<\/p>\n
economic waste decades after such accidents occurred. If that happens in<\/p>\n
Nigeria, where safety standards and disaster response systems are so weak,<\/p>\n
the implications are better imagined than experienced. Currently, several<\/p>\n
developed countries are in the process of phasing out nuclear energy. In<\/p>\n
fact, the nuclear proportion of the global energy mix has been rapidly<\/p>\n
declining over the years and it is rather surprising that Nigeria would be<\/p>\n
considering nuclear energy at a time like this\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The group also expressed dismay that the Agency could seek to undertake<\/p>\n
such a potentially hazardous project without any form of consultation with<\/p>\n
civil society and the host communities who would be directly affected by<\/p>\n
radioactive emissions and potential disasters.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge NAEC to reconsider its plans and the National Environmental<\/p>\n
Standards Regulatory Agency (NESREA), the Federal Ministry of Power and<\/p>\n
the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to intervene before<\/p>\n
the Agency embarks on this misguided adventure\u201d the statement said. \u201cCivil<\/p>\n
society groups and the host communities should put pressure on government<\/p>\n
to call off this invitation to disaster. The federal government must<\/p>\n
revise its alternative energy policy towards the development of cleaner<\/p>\n
and safer forms of energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An Uyo-based non-governmental organisation, Policy Alert, has asked the federal government to rethink its decision to establish nuclear power plants at Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39786,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n