Nigeria electricity crisis: Power generation capacity expansion and environmental ramifications

Access to clean and stable electricity is essential in actualizing Nigeria's quest for joining the league of twenty most industrious nations by the year 2020 (vision 20:2020). No country can develop and sustain it development without having a minimum access to electricity for it larger percentage of its population. At present, Nigeria depends petroleum reserves and its aged hydro plant instalments for electricity generation to feed the 40% of its total population that are connected to the national grid. This paper summarizes literature on the current energy issues in Nigeria and introduces the difficulty of the issues involved. The paper also analyses the current (2010) electricity generation as well as the future expansion plans of the Government in 20 years period. The plan includes the introduction of new electrify generation technologies that have not been in used in the base year (2010). The electricity generation system of (including the future expansion plan) was simulated using the LEAP System (Long-range Energy Alternative and Planning). We also investigated the potential environmental impact of siting a nuclear power plant in one of the potential sites based on the site's specific micro-meteorology (land use) and meteorology using the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) models; AERMOD 12345. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.