Rosatom will build a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso. The Russian-African atom advances
Russia's state-controlled nuclear company Rosatom and Burkina Faso's Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarrying have signed an agreement to build a nuclear power plant in the country. With construction estimated to begin by 2025, the project is expected to double the country's electricity production by 2030.
This is a relatively short time for the construction of a nuclear plant for which we do not yet have the specifications, but
Detailing the terms of the plant's development, the agreement includes a roadmap outlining strategies to improve Burkina Faso's nuclear energy capabilities, as well as the development of nuclear infrastructure. The agreement also outlines intentions to establish the relevant regulatory framework for nuclear energy in the country.
“The creation of this power plant will initially contribute to reducing the energy deficit and supporting all sectors of the socio-economic life of Burkina Faso,” said Yacouba Zabré Gouba, Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries of Burkina Faso.
It is not clear what type of plant or reactor will be built. However, neighboring and friendly Niger is a large producer of uranium, so it will not be difficult to find nuclear fuel.
The collaboration follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Burkina Faso and Rosatom in October 2023.
Rosatom's African policy
The Russian nuclear energy company has a strong expansion policy in Africa, with agreements of varying levels with different countries. In Egypt, a large power plant is under construction in El Daaba, which is expected to come into operation in 2026. Then there are Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana, Sudan and Zambia which have reached agreements similar to those of Burkina Faso. Other countries, however, have reached cooperation and development agreements of various levels.
It is not certain that all these memoranda will lead to nuclear power plants: various reasons can stop their development. However, to understand Russia's desire to enter these countries, the construction is almost always financed, in various ways, by Rosatom. Just think that in Europe governments are afraid to finance their nuclear power plants!
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The article Rosatom will build a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso. The Russian-African atom advance comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/rosatom-costruira-una-centrale-nucleare-in-burkina-faso-latomo-russo-africano-avanza/ on Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:08:27 +0000.