NIGERIAN NUCLEAR REGULATORY AUTHORITY CONDUCTS INSPECTIONS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCE ABANDONMENT OPERATIONS AT ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE EXPLORATION RIGS

NIGERIAN NUCLEAR REGULATORY AUTHORITY CONDUCTS INSPECTIONS OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCE ABANDONMENT OPERATIONS AT ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE EXPLORATION RIGS

Two teams of Senior Inspectors from the Headquarters and Bayelsa Operational Office of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority conducted inspection exercises from 4th–9th April and 9th–16th April 2026 at two licensed operators’ onshore and offshore exploration facilities, respectively.

The inspections were carried out at a land-based operational rig facility at Imo State and a deep offshore exploration well site within the Gulf of Guinea, offshore Nigeria. The inspections were aimed at witnessing and verifying the safe plug and abandonment operations involving radioactive sources that became stuck downhole during drilling activities.

The inspections focused on ensuring that the abandonment procedures were conducted in compliance with the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Act No. 19 of 1995, the Nigerian Basic Ionizing Radiation Regulations (2023), the Nigerian NORM Regulations (2008), the Nigerian Radiation Safety in Nuclear Well Logging Regulations (2008), the Nigerian Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Regulations (2023), as well as Section 10(c) of the Petroleum Industry Act.

The successful abandonment operations involved collaboration among the well operators, drilling rig contractors, and service companies responsible for the radioactive sources and associated radiation-generating equipment.

The operations included the implementation of engineered cement barriers and other long-term safety measures designed to ensure the permanent isolation and containment of the radioactive sources within the wellbores, in accordance with established safety and environmental protection requirements.

The Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority remains committed to regulating the safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear and radiological materials and technologies in the country, while ensuring the protection of people, property, and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.