Niger reveals plan for nuclear collaboration with Russia

(MENAFN) Niger revealed a plan to construct two nuclear reactors in collaboration with Russia's state energy firm, Rosatom, a project its mines minister stated "very important" for all of Africa.

On Thursday, Ousmane Abarchi stated during his speech at the Global Atomic Forum in Moscow that the suggested plants- with a total capacity of 2,000 megawatts – that the UN nuclear regulator, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will oversee its development.

While suggesting cooperation with Russia to develop the West African country’s uranium reserves, he informed the gathering: "Yes, we have big ambitions."

The minister stated that “I am convinced that developing uranium deposits is a responsibility to the world... We would like to develop this cooperation with the Russia.”

As the eighth-largest global uranium supplier, Niger accounts for roughly five percent of world output from its high-grade African reserves (World Nuclear Association). Its exports are vital to the EU, having met more than twenty-five percent of the bloc's needs in 2022. Notably, the nearly 1.9 million kg sent to France provides a main fuel source for French nuclear reactors, supplying between fifteen and seventeen percent of the uranium that is utilized for the nation’s electricity generation.

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