Burkina Faso plans to sign an intergovernmental agreement with Russia by the end of this year to build a nuclear power plant (NPP). This announcement was made by Burkina Faso's Minister of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, Yacouba Zabre Gouba, following talks with specialists from Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, which will be responsible for constructing the NPP in the West African country.
“We have reviewed our preliminary cooperation with Rosatom and found it to be generally satisfactory,” the minister was quoted as saying by Burkina24. “By the end of October, our students will head to leading Russian universities to receive specialized education in nuclear energy. We plan to soon begin discussions in working groups on the construction of the NPP in Burkina Faso by Rosatom experts. We hope to sign an intergovernmental agreement by the end of 2024, which will mark the start of negotiations on the technical aspects of the NPP construction.”
Earlier in 2024, Burkina Faso signed several memoranda with Rosatom, including agreements for training specialists in Russia in the field of nuclear energy, cooperation in assessing and developing nuclear infrastructure, and fostering positive public opinion toward nuclear energy.
Cooperation between Rosatom and Burkina Faso officially began in October 2023 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding during the sixth "Russian Energy Week" forum, focused on peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In March 2024, a roadmap for cooperation between the two countries was signed at the "Atomexpo 2024."
Once the international legal framework for cooperation is established, both sides aim to explore nuclear power generation projects in Burkina Faso, as well as non-energy applications of radiation technologies in agriculture and medicine.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on TASS materials