Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Review of the Nuclear Industry in Africa, Focusing on Nigeria and in Comparison With South Africa

Raymond Edward Ereh

Abstract

Economic development and improving the quality of life are made easier with access to reliable and affordable electricity. Africa, alas, is faced with severe challenges in satisfying the energy needs of its over 1.4 billion people. Despite the continent’s endowment with surplus energy resources like oil, coal, uranium, and gas, the power supply is far superseded by its demand. The continent’s industrial sector has been impinged by this energy deficit, with about 700,000 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity needed to maintain its activities as of November 2019. To attain sustainable development, Africa must develop eco-friendly energy systems to address this energy crisis, and nuclear power inclusion in Africa’s energy mix is a proposed alternative. Ghana, for instance, initially proposed 2029 as its target year to add nuclear power to its energy generation mix. This research project examines the history and current status of Africa’s nuclear sector, focusing on Nigeria while making comparisons with South Africa. The study uses the SWOT analysis principle to evaluate the internal strengths, weaknesses, external opportunities, and inherent threats connected to Nigeria’s nuclear power agenda. The research discovered that although Nigeria fulfils the basic requirements for including nuclear power in its energy mix, building a nuclear energy facility could be marred by significant gaps. Public perception and policy changes due to political transitions constitute the major setbacks to the timely execution and operation of Nigeria’s nuclear power facility. Financing is a critical impediment that needs to be addressed, and the research suggests a plethora of funding alternatives to expedite Nigeria’s development of a nuclear facility. Also, the South African nuclear industry’s status was reviewed. Overall, the study concludes that Nigeria possesses several strengths and opportunities for nuclear power generation that are economically

Keywords

AfricaNigeriaSouth AfricaNuclear powerSWOT analysisFinancing

References

[1] Agyekum E.B et al.: Comparative Evaluation of Renewable Energy Scenario in Ghana. Institute of Physics Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 2019; 643: 012157, 1-8; DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/643/1/012157. [2] Zaf Coelho et al.: Africa SMR Report 2022. Nuclear Business Platform, 2022; 3-4. [3] International Energy Agency: Africa Energy Outlook 2019 Overview: Nigeria, English version. IEA World Energy Outlook Special Report 2019; 1-20. Available at: www.iea.org/reports/africa-energy-outlook-2019. [4] International Energy Agency: Africa Energy Outlook 2019. IEA World Energy Outlook Special Report 2019; 1-288. Available at: www.iea.org/africa2019. [5] Ugwoke B et al.: A Review of Nigerian Energy Access Studies: The Story Told So Far. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier 2020; 120: 109646, 1-17; DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2019.109646. [6] Adhekpukoli Elo: The Democratization of Electricity in Nigeria. The Electricity Journal, Elsevier 2018; 31(2), 1–6; DOI: 10.1016/j.tej.2018.02.007. [7] International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Country Nuclear Power Profiles. IAEA PRIS Report – Nigeria, Available at: https://www- pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/cnpp2018/countryprofiles/Nigeria/Nigeria.htm [8] Ejiogu Amanze Rajesh: A nuclear Nigeria: How feasible is it? Energy Strategy Reviews, Elsevier 2013; 1(4), 261–265; DOI: 10.1016/j.esr.2012.12.007. [9] Kenneth Shultis J., Faw Richard E.: Fundamentals of Nuclear Science and Engineering. 3rd Edition 2017, 24-154; ISBN: 13: 978-1-4987-6929-7 (Hardback). [10] Ramana M.V., Agyapong Priscilla: Thinking Big? Ghana, Small Reactors, and Nuclear Power. Energy Research and Social Science, Elsevier 2016; 21: 101–113; DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2016.07.001. [11] Umar Abubakar Malah: Nuclear Energy in Nigeria: A Policy Book. Parrésia Publishers Ltd., Lagos Nigeria, 2021, 1-148; ISBN: 978-978-59213-2-8. [12] United States Agency for International Development (USAID): Power Africa in Nigeria, Available at: https://www.usaid.gov/powerafrica/nigeria. [13] Ismaila Yusuf Pindiga, Olusola Olorunfemi Bamisile: Renewable Energy: Comparison of Nuclear Energy and Solar Energy Utilization Feasibility in Northern Nigeria. Asian Transactions on Engineering, ATE ISSN: 2221-426, 2015; 5(2), 19-23. [14] Nathaniel Lowbeer-Lewis: Nigeria and Nuclear Energy: Plans and Prospects. The Centre for International Governance Innovation, Nuclear Energy Futures Papers, 11, 2010, 1- 13; ISSN 1919-2134. [15] Mari Carlo: The Costs of Generating Electricity and the Competitiveness of Nuclear Power. Progress in Nuclear Energy, Elsevier 2014; 73: 153–161; DOI: 10.1016/J.PNUCENE.2014.02.005. [16] Lazard: Lazard’s Levelized Cost of Energy Analysis – Version 12.0. 2018; 1-19. [17] Ewim Daniel R.E. et al.: Exploring the Perception of Nigerians Towards Nuclear Power Generation. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 2022; 14(4), 1059–1070; DOI: 10.1080/20421338.2021.1930848. [18] Sambo Isa, Rafiu Abuh: A Quantitative Study of Public Perception on Nuclear Power in Nigeria. International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, 2019; 2(1), 41-50; ISSN: 2581-7175. [19] Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA): Impacts of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident on Nuclear Development Policies. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD 2017; NEA No. 7212, 9-67. [20] Karniliyus J., Egieya J.: Uranium Development in Nigeria. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna, Report 2014; 148. [21] Phadermrod Boonyarat et al.: Importance-Performance Analysis Based SWOT Analysis. International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier 2017; 44: 194–203; DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.03.009. [22] Ishola Felix A. et al.: Sustainable Nuclear Energy Exploration in Nigeria - A SWOT Analysis. Conference Proceeding, 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Materials Processing and Manufacturing (SMPM) 2019; Elsevier, 35: 1165–1171; DOI: 10.1016/j.promfg.2019.06.072. [23] Kamran Muhammad et al.: Towards Empowerment of the Renewable Energy Sector in Pakistan for Sustainable Energy Evolution: SWOT Analysis. Renewable Energy, Elsevier 2020; 146: 543–558; DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2019.06.165. [24] Chen Wei Ming et al.: Renewable Energy in Eastern Asia: Renewable Energy Policy Review and Comparative SWOT Analysis for Promoting Renewable Energy in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Energy Policy, Elsevier 2014; 74(C), 319–329; DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2014.08.019. [25] Lei Yu et al.: SWOT Analysis for the Development of Photovoltaic Solar Power in Africa in Comparison with China. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Elsevier 2019; 77: 122–127; DOI: 10.1016/j.eiar.2019.04.005. [26] Markovska N. et al.: SWOT Analyses of the National Energy Sector for Sustainable Energy Development. Energy, Elsevier 2009; 34(6), 752–756; DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2009.02.006. [27] Hamami Souhir et al.: SWOT Analysis: Tunisian Energy System. 6th International Renewable Energy Congress (IREC), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), Sousse, Tunisia, 2015, 317: 1-6; DOI: 10.1109/IREC.2015.7110946. [28] Queensland Government: Business Queensland. Available at: https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/planning/swot-analysis. [29] United Nations: Sustainable Development Goals. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2023. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals. [30] Elbaradei Mohamed et al.: International Law and Nuclear Energy: Overview of the Legal Framework. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Bulletin, Vienna, 3/1995; 16-25. Available at: https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/37302081625.pdf. [31] Nwankwoala, H. O., Orji, O. M.: An Overview of Earthquakes and Tremors in Nigeria: Occurrences, Distributions and Implications for Monitoring. International Journal of Geology and Earth Sciences, 2018; 4(4), 56-73; DOI: 10.32937/ijges.4.4.2018.56-76. [32] Godwin Omeje: Seismic Risk Mitigation and the Future of the Nuclear Power Programme in Nigeria. Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA) Library, 2011. Available at: https://elibrary.nnra.gov.ng/jspui/handle/123456789/418. [33] Verma Aditi et al.: Nuclear Energy, Ten Years After Fukushima. Springer Nature Limited, 2021; 591: 199-201. [34] Komolafe O.M., Udofia K.M.: Review of electrical energy losses in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Technology, 2020; 39(1), 246–254; DOI: 10.4314/njt.v39i1.28. [35] Laura Gil: Is Africa Ready for Nuclear Energy? International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Office of Public Information and Communication, 2018. Available at: https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/is-africa-ready-for-nuclear-energy. [36] Barkatullah Nadira, Ahmad Ali: Current Status and Emerging Trends in Financing Nuclear Power Projects. Energy Strategy Reviews, Elsevier 2017; 18: 127–140; DOI: 10.1016/j.esr.2017.09.015. [37] Schöbel Markus et al.: Digging Deeper! Insights from a Multi-Method Assessment of Safety Culture in Nuclear Power Plants Based on Schein's Culture Model. Safety Science, Elsevier 2017; 95: 38–49; DOI: 10.1016/j.ssci.2017.01.012. [38] Ahmed Yusuf: Latest Developments and Nigeria's Approach Towards Developing Nuclear Power. Nuclear Business Platform (NBP) Hotseat Interview, 12/2021. Available at: https://www.nuclearbusiness-platform.com/nbp-hotseat/. [39] Arriola Leonardo R.: Patronage and Political Stability in Africa. Comparative Political Studies, University of California, Berkeley, 2009; 42(10), 1339–1362; DOI: 10.1177/0010414009332126;https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10.1177/0010414 [40] Transparency International: What is Corruption? The Global Coalition against Corruption, 2023. Available at: https://www.transparency.org/en/what-is-corruption. [41] Bunn Matthew, Robert I. Rotberg: Corruption and Nuclear

More Articles from INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND MODERN TECHNOLOGY