Russia's state nuclear company Rosatom and Burkina Faso have signed a memorandum of understanding on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Sahel region. Details of the agreement have not yet been specified. It is reported by Reuters.
It is noted that the nuclear power plant will allow Burkina Faso to meet its energy needs.
The agreement was signed in Moscow by Burkina Faso's Minister of Energy and Mines Simon-Pierre Boussim and Deputy Director General of Rosatom Nikolai Spasskiy.
The agreement was signed at the request of Burkina Faso's junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, during the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg in July.
"Traore, who came to power in a military coup in September 2022, has grown closer to Russia as his relations with former colonial power France deteriorate and Russia seeks to expand its influence in Africa," the agency writes.
Burkina Faso, with a population of more than 20 million people, has an installed electricity generation capacity of just over 420 megawatts.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed in Moscow on October 13, does not contain details about the nuclear power plant, its financing or construction schedule.
