Russian State-owned nuclear group Rosatom has confirmed that it is in talks with Nigeria about the construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in that country, but has denied that any agreement has been signed. This follows a recent report in the Nigerian media that the nuclear company was to build four NPPs in the country.

“A week ago, Rosatom had a series of meetings with the Coordination Committee of Nigeria that is in charge of implementing [the] nuclear programme about the project of construction of nuclear power plants, but no documents were signed, thus it is too early to comment on or confirm any concrete project details,” stated the group to Engineering News on April 15. “To date, the parties negotiate within the framework of the intergovernmental agreement signed in June 2012 (agreement on cooperation in the design, construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants in Nigeria).

“This agreement is a framework document that defines the basic principles and conditions for cooperation in NPP construction in Nigeria,” Rosatom explained. “In particular, the parties agreed to cooperate in the preparation of a comprehensive programme of construction of nuclear power plants in Nigeria, strengthening the regulatory and legal framework, as well as the system of State regulation in the field of nuclear safety.”

On April 15, Nigeria’s Daily Independent newspaper reported that Nigeria had launched a programme to buy four NPPs from Rosatom, with a total generating capacity of 4 800 MW. It stated that the first NPP, with a capacity of 1 200 MW, would start operation in 2025, while the last would be commissioned by 2035. The newspaper cited, as its source, a speech by Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission chairperson and CEO Franklin Erepamo Osaisai, delivered at a conference in Kenya.

The newspaper further reported that the NPPs would be built and operated by a partnership between the Russian group and Nigeria, with Rosatom having a majority shareholding. The roles of the partners would be established contractually. Osaisai was also reported as having said that Rosatom would finance the programme, which would be executed on a build-own-operate-transfer basis. Ultimately, control of the NPPs would be transferred to the Nigerian government.

“A joint coordination committee is in place and negotiations are ongoing for financing and contracting,” the newspaper quoted him as saying. “We are meticulously implementing our plans.”

The journal stated that the nuclear programme would cost about $20-billion for each NPP for a total of $80-billion. However, the Bloomberg news agency has reported that the total cost of the programme would be around $20-billion and that each NPP would cost some $5-billion. The Russian news agency TASS also gives a total cost of about $20-billion and an unnamed source in the Russian nuclear industry stated that the Nigerian reporter had probably misunderstood Osaisai’s comments.

TASS further reported that the first meeting of the joint coordinating committee created by the intergovernmental agreement was held early last month in Moscow. The news agency also affirmed that Nigeria sought to construct four NPPs by 2035. The final cost would, it stated, depend on many factors. Currently, Nigeria has a maximum electricity output of some 3 800 MW. Another 1 500 MW is not available owing to, ironically, shortages of gas.

Rosatom’s VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor, a Generation III+ design, has an electrical output of effectively 1 200 MW (1 198 MW to be precise). The next development of this design, the VVER-TOI, would have an electrical output of 1 255 MW. (TOI stands for Typical Optimised Informative-advanced.) Rosatom expects the construction period for one VVER-TOI reactor to be some 48 months. (The design of the VVER-TOI was completed in 2012 and it is now being certified outside Russia.)

This means that Nigeria’s initial requirement could be met by a single-reactor NPP and that the complete requirement could need no more than two sites (each with two reactors). Having a single site, with four reactors, is quite conceivable.