Burkina Faso and Russia’s Rosatom sign agreement for nuclear power plant
Burkina Faso and Russian state nuclear company Rosatom on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for construction of a nuclear power plant in the landlocked Sahel West African state, Burkina Faso’s energy ministry said in a statement.
The nuclear power plant will enable the country to meet its energy needs, it said, adding that the agreement was signed by energy and mines minister Simon-Pierre Boussim, and Nikolay Spasskiy, Rosatom’s deputy director general.
The deal follows a request made by Burkina Faso’s leader Captain Ibrahim Traore to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg in July.
The semi-arid country of over 20 million people has an installed power generation capacity of just over 420 megawatts.
The MOU signed in Moscow on Friday does not give details of the proposed nuclear power plant, its funding, or a timeline for the construction.
It is said the deal will help develop nuclear infrastructure and technology for medical and agricultural applications and implementation in Burkina Faso, while among other things, provide assistance to Burkina Faso in nuclear safety and security.
