Niger Republic to build nuclear power plant

The Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou

Niger Republic to build nuclear power plant

Niger says it will be going ahead with a plan to develop civilian nuclear energy in partnership with other West African countries in spite of recent accidents including Fukushima.

"We have said that in the long term, we will promote, as part of ECOWAS (the West African regional bloc), civilian nuclear energy," President Mahamadou Issoufou told an international forum on youths and green jobs in the capital, Niamey.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries is a major exporter of uranium. It said in June that it plans to produce its own nuclear power in partnership with other African nations.

"The Chernobyl accident and recently Fukushima can not make us abandon this choice, especially with regard to the ongoing efforts to establish international standards for the construction of nuclear power," Issoufou said.

"In addition to renewable energy, nuclear energy is clean and low cost," Issoufou said, but did not give any further details on Niger's nuclear plans nor a target date as to when the project will start.

In March 2011, Japan suffered numerous earthquakes and a deadly tsunami which triggered reactor meltdowns and a radiation crisis at Tokyo Electric's Fukushima Daiichi plant, 200 km northeast of Tokyo, fanning public safety fears worldwide.

Niger's annual electricity consumption in 2007 was just under 590 million kilowatt-hours.

Its key partner is French nuclear giant Areva, whose Imouraren mine should turn Niger into the world's No. 2 producer/exporter of uranium.

The mine will produce 5,000 tonnes of uranium a year from about 2013 or 2014, according to Areva.

Reuters/Ugo