Bids for the construction of a 4000 MW nuclear power plant have been opened have been opened by the Federal Government.
This was made public by the Director General, Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Dr Yau Idris, on Tuesday at the ongoing Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES) in Abuja.
Idris said the plant would be the largest power plant in Nigeria if the bids are successful and construction is completed.
Dr Yau Idris said it is wrong to think that Nigeria can’t manage a nuclear power plant.
“There are mechanisms put in place that ensure any country can build a nuclear power plant. Nigeria is trying to deliver 4,000MW of electricity through nuclear power. We are trying to construct four units and we are at the bidding stage,” he said.
He added that the FG has been trying to diversify Nigeria’s energy mix since 1977, adding that the 4,000 MW plant would boost Nigeria’s present generation capacity to 13,000MW.
Idris said the regulatory agency has signed agreements with Russia, Pakistan, France and South Korea to build the capacity of its staff in manning the nuclear plants.
Recall that the Senate had on Tuesday removed the power generation, transmission and distribution from the exclusive legislative list in the ongoing constitutional review exercise.
The members of the upper legislative chamber passed a bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to allow states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the National Grid and for related matters.
