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A GIS-based Site Investigation for Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) in Nigeria

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DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2019.e00240

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 Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Scientific African
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/sciaf

A GIS-based site investigation for nuclear power plants (NPPs)

in Nigeria
Ayodeji A. Eluyemi a,b,e,∗, Sangeeta Sharma b, Sunday J. Olotu c,d, Dele E. Falebita d,
Adekunle A. Adepelumi d, Isaac A. Tubosun a, Francis I. Ibitoye a,
Saurabh Baruah b,e,∗
a
Centre for Energy Research and Development (CERD), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria
b
Geosciences and Technology Division, CSIR–North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat 785006, Assam, India
c
National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), Nigeria
d
Department of Geology, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria
e
Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST) Campus,
Jorhat 785006, Assam, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) has identified some sites for possible con-
Received 29 August 2019 structions of nuclear power plants in Nigeria. This paper addresses the conduct of a Ge-
Revised 6 November 2019
ographic Information System (GIS) based suitability assessment of these sites for the pro-
Accepted 13 November 2019
posed Nuclear Power Plant. Attempts to recommend sites for the nuclear power plants
and other major constructions in Nigeria have been made in view of historical and recent
Editor: Dr. B. Gyampoh occurrences both at regional and local level, with earthquake occurrences in Ghana (18th
December, 1636 Ms = 5.7; 1862 ML ~ 6.5 and Ms ≥ 6.5; 11th February, 1907 and 22nd of
Keywords:
June, 1939 Ms ~ 6.5 and mb ~ 6.4), Guinea 22nd December, 1983 with (MW ~ 6.3) coupled
Nuclear power plants
with recent activities of volcanic eruption of mount Cameroun (1986, 1999, 20 0 0). The
Geographic information system
Earthquake buried equatorial fault lines emanating from the seismically active zones of the Gulf of
Volcanic eruption Guinea are in reactivation state. This study entails the use of GIS to integrate available ad-
Seismic ministrative and comprehensive tectonic maps of Nigeria. Database for the recommended
Active zones sites is in line with the guidelines and recommendations of the International Atomic En-
ergy Agency. In this paper, recommended sites are those where seismic and other hazards
are considered to be at the bearest minimum.
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of
Mathematical Sciences / Next Einstein Initiative.
This is an open access article under the CC BY license.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Introduction

Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa with the total population estimate of about 181 million inhabitants in 2015,
according to United Nations Population Division [1] revised medium variant population projection. Currently, the country

∗
Corresponding authors at: Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR – North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST)
Campus, Jorhat 785006, Assam, India.
E-mail addresses: ay_dot2006@yahoo.com (A.A. Eluyemi), saurabhb_23@yahoo.com (S. Baruah).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2019.e00240
2468-2276/© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of African Institute of Mathematical Sciences / Next Einstein Initiative. This is an
open access article under the CC BY license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
2 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

derives its electrical energy from two main sources, which are hydroelectric and thermal power plants [2]. Electrical en-
ergy generating capacity and capability is an important ingredient of a nation, be it a developed or developing country.
Uninterrupted supply of electrical current is sometimes arguably the yardstick to differentiate between the developed and
developing world, which is also one of the major drivers of economic prosperity and development of a nation. It eradicates
poverty and promotes industrialization. However, electrical energy generation and distribution are among the major chal-
lenges of the developing countries of the world including Nigeria, resulting in epileptic electrical energy supply. Meanwhile,
reliability of the modern day’s technologies on constant supply of electricity cannot be undermined.
Presently, about sixty-five (65) countries across all continents of the world are considering the introduction of nuclear
power generation into their energy-mix. However, Nigeria is one of the fifteen (15) African countries with active programs
to introduce nuclear power generation into their electricity sector, as reported by World Nuclear Association [3]. This is in
context of growing energy demands to fuel economic growth and development and also due to safety and reliability of the
technology involved ([4] SSG-35). The total electricity generation in Nigeria in 2015 is estimated to 12,522 Megawatt (MW)
Advisory Power Team, Office of the Vice President, Federal Government of Nigeria: Nigeria, Power Baseline Report [21]. Of
these, 22 natural gas plants amounted to 10,592 MW while the remaining 3 were hydroelectric plants, summed up to 1930
MW. However, only 31% is operational, due to a several reasons, including technical problems such as maintenance neglect,
insufficient grid capacity, disruption of access to natural gas feedstock, etc.
A further 20% of total generations of electricity were lost through transmission and distribution, and the electricity supply
that finally gets to the end-users amounts to as little as 151 kWh/cap, which is one of the lowest in Africa despite the huge
population of Nigeria.
In view of the above stated problems and the need to conserve Nigeria’s natural resources and using these resources
more efficiently, introduction of nuclear energy into the electricity generation-mix will go a long way to reducing current
shortages in the power sector. Besides, there are other reasons for advocating for nuclear power intervention in Nigeria’s
energy-mix, and these include: ability to inject a large amount of power into the national electricity grid, less reliance on
natural gas plants and security-related problems of gas supply, national demand for electricity cannot all be met even if
all available hydroelectric potential is fully developed and lastly, generation of negligible greenhouse gases unlike the fossil
fuel-fired plants which contribute significantly to environmental pollution and greenhouse gas warming. Despite all the
aforementioned benefits derived from functional nuclear power plants, one of its draw backs lies in severity of an accident
on an existing nuclear power plant. These could be man-made or natural, hence an aspect of siting studies for a prospective
nuclear power plant is very critical.
Among several researchers that have contributed to the way out for the current electrical energy crisis in Nigeria are
Adoghe et al. [5], Lowbeer-Lewis [6], Natasha [7], Oluwatoyin et al. [8], Oluwatoyin et al. [20] and WNA [3] and they all
emphasized the rational for Nigeria to embark on nuclear power plant (NPP) installation as means of meeting up with the
nation’s growing energy demand. Towards this imminent need, proper site selection is one of the main criteria with due
consideration of various aspect of the earth such as ecological, seismological and geological factors.
Despite the fact that Nigeria is located in one of the mobile belts of Africa, between the West African and Congo cratons,
the terrain has experienced little to less seismicity as there has been no record of major seismicity as it ought to be relative
to its adjoining regions (Fig. 1). The geological framework of Nigeria’s mobile belt position and location conform to Pan-
African orogeny accompanied by major deformation and metamorphism of 60 0±10 0Ma [9]. The country cannot be totally
devoid of future major seismicity because of its position, existence of extension of major fault lines from the seismically ac-
tive Gulf of Guinea Yarwood and Doser [23] (South Atlantic Ocean) and the presence of volcanically active mount Cameroun.
However, in the last seventy (70) years, several occurrence of micro-seismic earthquakes, particularly in the south-western
part of Nigeria with no report of destruction of properties or loss of life have been persistent as well as some moderate
magnitude earthquake in the range of 4.1–5.1 Mw have been reported within the same province by International Seismo-
logical Centre (ISC) highlighted in Table 1. Seismicity and persistent tremor occurring in Nigeria has been well reported by
Akpan and Tahir [10], Afegbua et al. [11], Shiwua [12], Mozie et al. [13] and Tsalha et al. [14]. To this end, Nigerian National
Network of Seismological Stations (NNNSS) was inaugurated in year 2008.
The 11th September 2009 earthquake was the first seismological recorded earthquake in Nigeria. This event was recorded
with the existing three seismological stations of NNNSS [15]. Afterwards, there have been several research and publica-
tions with respect to seismological related works ([10–14,16]). Despite all the research carried out in Nigeria, we have not
been able to identify an area of site suitability assessment for NPP and related industrial facilities with respect to seismo-
genic/tectonic sources. Therefore, this research proposes to embark on site suitability assessment for NPP sittings and related
industrial constructions in Nigeria using site-suitability method of Geographical Information System (GIS) with the scope of
working in line with the proposal of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), to include 10 0 0 MW and 40 0 0 MW
of nuclear power by year 2027 [6]. However, NPP installation as it were, is a sensitive facility, which demands an in-depth
knowledge of some of the essential factors of the proposed site, among which are: (i) the geology (ii) seismotectonics (iii)
seismic hazard analysis.
 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240 3

Fig. 1. The geographical location of Nigeria and the hypocentral distribution of earthquakes, as well as the seismically active zones of the Gulf of Guinea
(Atlantic Ocean) and the volcanic zones of mount Cameroun, the black broken lines indicates the equatorial fractured zones from the mid-Atlantic ridge
and the yellow triangles signify the volcanic spots [24].

Methodology

GIS-based site suitability considerations

The general approach towards site survey and site selection are directed towards reducing the uncertainties at vari-
ous steps of the siting evaluation processes in order to obtain reliable results based on the available data. Site specific
database for this work are developed containing all relevant site characteristics as established by IAEA ([4] SSG-35)
regulations, and U.S Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) Jacob [17] for the siting of NPP. These include the follow-
ing sets of data: geological, hydrological, seismological, fault/lineament, volcanological, coastal flooding, river flooding,
human induced events, population and environmental impact (Table 2). The political map of Nigeria [22] retrieved on-
line www.ontheworldmap.com/nigeria/nigeria- political- map.html was digitized in order to obtain the following features:

Table 1
Seismicity record of moderate earthquake events recorded in Nigeria.

Date Time Longitude Latitude Magnitude Depth

1967/11/04 11:15:55.00 11.0000 12.0000 4.8 33.0

1968/03/10 01:37:45.00 5.8000 10.0000 5.1 33.0
1970/07/14 04:03:44.00 13.7000 6.0000 4.1 33.0
1986/02/13 00:42:06.06 4.3646 9.1365 3.7 10.0
1986/02/13 01:06:11.09 4.3656 9.1352 4.1 8.0
1986/02/13 01:30:47.64 4.4376 8.9697 4.1 11.0
1986/02/13 01:54:21.69 4.3618 9.1427 4.2 7.0
1986/02/13 02:14:56.58 4.3689 9.1325 3.8 10.0
1990/09/20 12:13:25.48 4.2221 9.0551 4.5 10.0
1994/11/07 05:07:51.00 11.6500 6.3500 4.2 30.0
2000/03/07 15:53:24.49 6.2900 5.0700 4.4 10.0
2012/04/19 22:23:25.63 12.1842 6.3467 5.1 33.0
2013/09/17 23:33:56.80 13.2190 5.9738 4.8 33.0
2009/09/11 03:10:18.80 6.5580 2.412 4.4 10.0
4 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

Table 2
Required characteristic features, threshold/limit for screening values and remarks for the selection of siting of NPP ([4] SSG-35).

No Characteristics Criteria (km) Remarks

1 Distance from capable fault 8.0 Exclusion criterion

2 Distance from the flight paths approaching an airport 4.0 Discretionary Criterion
3 Distance from small airport 10.0 Discretionary Criterion
4 Distance from large airport 16.0 Discretionary Criterion
5 Distance from military installations airspace usage such 30.0 Discretionary Criterion
as practice, bombing and firing range
6 Distance from military installations storing ammunition, 8.0 Discretionary Criterion
etc.
7 Distance for facilities for storing or handling flammables, 5.0 Discretionary Criterion
toxic, corrosive or explosive material
8 Source of hazardous clouds 8.0
9 Natural reserves, bio-sensitive region Exclusion zone Exclusion criterion
10 Tsunami 10 km from sea or ocean
shoreline or 1 km from
lake or 50 m above
mean water level

Table 3
Chosen criteria and its respective buffers (km) for the suitable sites
selections.

Features Criteria 1 Criteria 2

(Buffers in km) (Buffers in km)

International boundary 150 150

Town/village 20 20
Rivers 30 5
State Capital 40 40
Fault Lines 40 40
Roads 2 2
Rails 2 2

international boundary map, towns/villages, state-capitals (city), rivers/drainages, roads and railways. Criteria-based local
requirements were added to these mandatory requirements (Table 3). The prehistorically earthquake events of the study
region are obtained from literature surveys while the historical earthquake events are obtained from the International
Seismological Centre (ISC) website.

Seismological consideration

Seismological consideration was guided by the detailed tectonic map of Nigeria produced by Eluyemi and Baruah [18].
Digitized fault lines and lineaments of separate layers were combined to form a single layer in ARC MAP 10.2.2 and super-
imposed on the international boundary map (Fig. 2), geologic map (Fig. 3) and tectonic map (Fig. 4). Stepwise procedure
employed in this work is summarized in Fig. 6.
Administrative map of Nigeria is contained in Fig. 5. From this administrative map, shape files and their respective buffers
were created on existing geographical features such as drainages, road-networks, rail-networks, state-capital/town-villages,
active fault/fracture lines (tectonic) and international boundaries (Figs. 7–12). Proximity buffers were conducted on shape
files with the set criteria (Table 3). Epicentral locations of both historic and recent data were plotted and their respec-
tive shape files created. Erase operations were conducted on state boundary as the input features and respective buffers as
the erase features (national road network system, rail network system, national drainage network system, suspected fault
lines, state-capitals/towns-villages). Intersection operations were conducted on the results of the above. Negative buffer was
conducted on international boundary, which was clipped with the final intersection map generated to achieve the site suit-
ability map (Fig. 13). Tables 4 and 5 are the perimeter and area estimations of the suitable sites in kilometers and square
kilometers. The centre points of each locatoin was also evaluated in decimal degrees.

Physical, geographical and tectonic features considerations

River body

Depending on the type of cooling system aimed to be utilized for the proposed plant, regular source of water supply
is an essential ingredient in the running/operating of any nuclear power station. Water is required for steam condensation,
day-to-day usage and also in case of emergency cooling of core system [17]. The drainage network system of Nigeria (Fig. 7)
flows from the north to the south up to the atlantic ocean. Proximity buffers of 5 km and 30 km (Figs. 8(A) and (B)) are
 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240 5

Fig. 2. Tectonic settings of Nigeria (modified after Oyawoye [25], Ofoeghu and Hein [26], Odeyemi et al. [27] and Tchindjang [28]). The major tectonic
features in the region are: St Paul’s, Romanche, Chain, Charcott, Cameroun volcanic line (CVL), Ifewara fault lines, basement complex region and sedimentary
terrain zones of Nigeria [18].

Fig. 3. Tectonic and geologic setting of Nigeria (modified after Oyawoye [25], Ofoegbu and Hein [26], Odeyemi et al. [27] and Tchindjang [28]). The major
tectonic features in the region are: St Paul’s, Romanche, Chain, Charcott, Cameroun volcanic line (CVL), Ifewara fault lines, basement complex region and
sedimentary terrain zones of Nigeria [18].
6 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

Fig. 4. Tectonic map superimposed on geographic map of Nigeria (modified after Ofoeghu and Hein [26], Odeyemi et al. [27] and Tchindjang [28]). All of
the six fault/fracture lines traverse through notable localities and cities of Nigeria [18].

Fig. 5. Administrative map of Nigeria indicating major geographical features such as the drainage pattern, villages-towns and states capitals, road network,
rail network and states boundaries (Nigeria Political Map, www.ontheworldmap.com/nigeria/nigeria- political- map.html).
 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240 7

Fig. 6. Flow chart diagram for site suitability study of NPP and related industrial constructions siting in Nigeria.

Fig. 7. Drainage network system of Nigeria shows the flow pattern from north to south and finally into the Atlantic Ocean.
8 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

Fig. 8. Map of Nigeria showing (A) proximity buffer of 5 km on the drainage network system and (B) proximity buffer of 30 km on the drainage network
system.

Table 4
The estimated suitable sites for the siting of NPPs in Nigeria using criteria 1 of Table 3.

Zone Name Perimeter (km) Area (km2 ) Centre Point (Dec-degree)

1 Kebbi 106.364875 566.546679 5.1707 11.2346

2 Niger 151.404910 1427.788875 5.4410 9.3800
3 Kwara 166.089709 743.222003 4.8581 8.5492
4 Niger/Kaduna 229.016186 2814.077295 7.4367 9.7922
5 Kaduna 149.483137 1357.627274 8.5563 10.368
6 Edo 143.601821 1276.941593 6.2268 6.6619
7 Nasarawa/Kaduna/Plateau 422.810444 6399.160499 8.2136 9.0047
8 Kogi/Benue/Enugu 277.945116 2988.008126 7.8088 7.1163
9 Nasarawa/Plateau 317.230423 3347.024934 9.4362 8.4468
10 Taraba/Gombe 223.250269 2034.125621 11.2640 9.6014
11 Yobe 237.323551 1937.337855 11.5844 11.3652
12 Borno 348.001106 4193.034014 12.1249 11.0389
 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240 9

Fig. 9. Map of Nigeria showing (A) the road network system and (B) a proximity buffer of 2 km on the road network system.

Table 5
The quantification of estimated suitable sites for the siting of NPPs and major constructions in Nigeria
using criteria 2 of Table 3.

Zone Name Perimeter (km) Area (km2 ) Centre (Dec-degree)

1 Niger/Kebbi 410.972175 10,155.894439 5.5537 10.9805

2 Zamfara 240.493573 3536.145626 6.3725 11.084
3 Niger 367.404702 7530.095604 5.421 9.2838
4 Niger/Kaduna 373.032875 7155.60821 7.4095 9.8453
5 Kaduna/Bauchi 618.905934 9434.984336 9.226 10.7131
6 Bauchi/Yobe 315.414556 5437.525453 11.1482 11.3355
7 Ekiti/Ondo/Kogi 225.851319 2779.277098 5.9052 7.6578
8 Nasarawa/Kaduna/Plateau 441.411792 6931.96761 8.2296 9.0132
9 Bauchi/Taraba/Gombe 331.344949 6448.729709 10.7509 9.754
10 Borno/Yobe 425.607595 5636.161224 12.0303 10.9025
11 Edo/Kogi/Enugu/Benue 479.18009 11,925.721266 6.822 6.8021
12 Nasarawa/Benue/Plateau 552.613206 6360.150665 9.5856 8.5479
10 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

Fig. 10. Map of Nigeria showing (A) the rail network system and (B) a proximity buffers of 2 km on the rail network system.

conducted on the existing drainage pattern with provision for source of water for the operation of the plant from rivers as in
(Fig. 8(A)) and permanent control of flood (Fig. 8(B)) that could arise from seismically induced water wave from immediate
environment or distantly generated seismicity, rivers seiches or surge, sea level rise, dam burst or dam failure etc.

Transportation corridors

The main forms of transportation system in Nigeria is mainly by road, Figs. 9(A) and (B) shows the major road net-
work system of Nigeria and its respective proximity buffer. Figs. 10(A) and (B) depict the less frequently used means of
transportation system in Nigeria, the railway network system and its respective proximity buffer of 2 km. Due to the sensi-
tivity of NPP and related industrial constructions, adequate care must be taken to protect such facilities from interferences
from any minor/major accidents along the transportation corridors. For these reasons, on both road and rail networks, a
buffer of 2 km was chosen, respectively (Figs. 9 and 10). Connecting roads are expected to be constructed to link up with
the proposed sites.

Population density

AELB (2011) recommends 32 km and 18 km away from highly and sparsely populated zones for NPP site selection re-
spectively. A low population zone is defined as a point at which an individual located at any point within its boundary for
 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240 11

Fig. 11. Map of Nigeria showing (A) a proximity buffer of 40 km on state capitals and 20 km on towns/villages and (B) an international boundary and its
negative buffer of 150 km.

two hours shall not absorb to the whole body in excess of 25 rem (rem is defined as roentgen equivalent man, which is the
limit of ionized radiation dosage applied to human body) of total radiation dose and in excess of 300 rem to the thyroid
from iodine exposure. According to Table 2, biosensitive regions are regarded as exclusion-criteria for the siting of NPP. The
IAEA [[4] SSG-35] listed criteria for nuclear power plant siting are mostly found in either state capitals or town/villages of
Nigeria. Therefore, for the purpose of this work, we have selected a buffer of 40 km for the densely populated zones, most of
which are concentrated in state capitals in Nigeria and 20 km for low populated zones located in towns/villages (Fig. 11(A))
since the idea is to locate a remote site devoid of biosensitve environment, the farther the selected sites for NPP siting from
the biosensitive zones, the safer are the ecological or biosensitive zones located nearest to the sites.

International boundaries

Although this study takes into consideration the proximity of the NPP site to international boundaries, it is not a crucial
criterion in a relatively peaceful region unlike Nigeria. For this reason, a negative buffer of 150 km was used for the exclu-
sionary areas on the international boundaries (Fig. 11(B)), bearing in mind that the country borders with Benin, Niger, Chad,
Cameroun and the Atlantic Ocean.
12 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

Fig. 12. Map of Nigeria showing (A) an epicentral location of seismic events and active faults in Nigeria and (B) a proximity buffer of 40 km around the
tectonic fault lines.

Active fault lines

AELB [19], Philip (2014) and IAEA ([4] SSG-35)emphasised an aspect of geo-tectonic related hazard in area of active or
dormant fault lines and volcanic activity. Efforts are made to identify the transcurrent fault lines and epicentral locations
(Fig. 12(A)) with a buffer of 40 km (Fig. 12(B)). Nigeria is located in one of the mobile belts of Africa and has been, in
recent times, experiencing low-magnitude tremors very frequently. Taking into consideration the prehistoric and historic
earthquake events as well as paleoseismic events, seismic stability of Nigeria cannot be absolutely guaranteed.

Suitable sites

Suitable sites capable of supporting of nuclear infrastructures are achieved and presented as maps (Fig. 13(A) and (B)).
These maps are the final products of the earlier explained methodology and procedure adopted for this work. The suitable
maps are expected to be subjected to further screening for existence of both natural and man-made features such as caverns,
karstic formations, agricultural land use, mines, water wells, oil wells, subsidence, uplift and slope, atmospheric extremes
and dispersion.
 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240 13

Fig. 13. Map of suitable sites in Nigeria for NPP siting and other industrial construction using (A) criteria 1 (30 km proximity buffer on drainage (river)
system of Nigeria) and (B) criteria 2 (5 km proximity buffer on drainage system of Nigeria).

Result

Having performed the site suitability procedure as contained in Arc Map 10.22 Geographical Inormation System (GIS)
software, suitable sites are arrived at, in form of maps based upon the selected criteria. These sites are further subjected
to area and perimeter estimation in kilometers as well as classified into localities, which is automatically generated on the
software.
Based on criteria 1, the following localities are found suitable for the siting of NPP and its associated facilities: Kebbi,
Niger, Kwara, Niger/Kwara/Kaduna, Edo, Nasarawa/Kaduna/Plateau, Kogi/Benue/Enugu, Nasarawa/Plateau, Taraba/Gombe,
Yobe and Borno are presented in Table 4. Similarly, based on criteria 2: Niger/Kebbi, Zamfara, Niger; Niger/Kaduna,
Kaduna/Bauchi, Bauchi/Yobe, Ekiti/Ondo/Kogi, Nasarawa/Kaduna/Plateau, Bauchi/Taraba/Gombe, Borno/Yobe, Edo/Kogi/Enugu/
Benue and Nasarawa/Benue/Plateau are also found suitable and presented in Table 5. Fig. 13(A) anad (B) are the maps of
suitable sites for the two sets of criteria, respectively, utilized in this study.

Discussion

The purpose of the siting activities goes beyond choosing a site for the construction of NPP but the project is more of
safety concern that incorporate set of referenced data bank for safety, efficiency and stability of the plant during its life
time.
14 A.A. Eluyemi, S. Sharma and S.J. Olotu et al. / Scientific African 7 (2020) e00240

In this study, we have worked in line with the IAEA safety standard series, which focused mainly on site survey re-
quirements for nuclear power plant. We were able to incorporate all of the IAEA ([4] SSG-35) requirements into this study
because we found out that some of the enlisted requirements are found directly on the political/administrative map of Nige-
ria whereas, other requirements such as: distance from small airport, distance from military installations, air space usage,
such as practice, bombing and firing range, distance from military installations of storing ammunition, distance for facilities
for storing or handling flammables, toxic, corrosive or explosive material and sources of hazardous clouds. All of the afore-
mentioned are located in either a state capital of town/villages in Nigeria exception of the natural reserves which would be
isolated if eventually it falls within the suitable map.
Also, locations on the map of suitable sites (Fig. 13(A)) is exactly 30 km away from the water body, which could be
further investigated and utilized for other sensitive/industrial constructions such as: Solar, coal and gas powered stations.

Conclusion

Attempt to recommend sites for NPP and major constructions in Nigeria have been carried out with the aid of GIS in view
of recent seismicity and the need for alternative power supply in Nigeria. The prime inputs to this study are the existing
administrative and comprehensive tectonic maps of Nigeria. Besides, database for the screening of site suitability for NPP in
this study is in line with the guidelines and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency ([4] SSG-35). In order to
achieve the stated objective of this work, two criteria (criteria 1 and 2) were carefully considered.
The output of criteria 2 as in Fig. 13(B) is important for a nuclear plant which may require light water for the cool-
ing of the reactor but adequate preparation must be taken to prevent effluents of the plant contaminating the water
body. Natural disasters like floods due to heavy rainfalls or dam burst and tsunami are permanently controlled in crite-
ria 1 as in Fig. 13(A). For criteria 1, the following localities are found suitable for the sittings of NPPs in Nigeria: Kebbi;
Niger; Kwara; Niger/Kwara/Kaduna; Edo; Nasarawa/Kaduna/Plateau; Kogi/Benue/Enugu; Nasarawa/Plateau; Taraba/Gombe;
Yobe and Borno. Similarly, the following localities are found suitable using criteria 2: Niger/Kebbi; Zamfara; Niger;
Niger/Kaduna; Kaduna/Bauchi; Bauchi/Yobe; Ekiti/Ondo/Kogi; Nasarawa/Kaduna/Plateau; Bauchi/Taraba/Gombe; Borno/Yobe;
Edo/Kogi/Enugu/Benue and Nasarawa/Benue/Plateau. Estimated amount of area 29,084.9 km2 using criteria 1 and 83,332.3
km2 using criteria 2 are found to be useful for construction of nuclear installation where the seismic and other hazard are
considered to be at the bearest minimum. Of course, other areas may be useful for the same construction, but the hazard
level is higher and would require implementation of costly treatments.

Declaration of Competing Interest

None.

Acknowledgments

Eluyemi A. A. pays gratitude and appreciation to The World Academy for Sciences (TWAS) Italy and Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research (CSIR) India, for a CSIR-TWAS sub UNESCO Ph.D. fellowship. The Academy of Scientific and Innovative
Research (AcSIR) India is acknowledged by E. A. A for availing the opportunity to carryout Ph.D. The Nigeria Atomic Energy
Agency (NAEC) and Centre for Energy Research and Development (CERD) are hereby appreciated and acknowledged for
partial funding of this work.
This work was fully funded by The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) India and The World Academy of
Sciences (TWAS), Italy [CSIR-TWAS, FR number: 3240275042].

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