(MENAFN) Niger has unveiled plans to construct two nuclear power stations through a collaboration with Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned atomic energy company.

According to the country’s minister of mines, this initiative is considered “very important” not just for Niger, but for the African continent as a whole.

Speaking during the Global Atomic Forum in Moscow on Thursday, Ousmane Abarchi stated that the proposed nuclear facilities—expected to generate a combined 2,000 megawatts—will be carried out under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear watchdog of the United Nations.

“Yes, we have big ambitions,” Abarchi remarked at the event. He also called for expanded collaboration with Russia to further develop Niger’s rich uranium resources.

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

Niger ranks as the eighth-largest uranium supplier worldwide, contributing nearly 5% of the global supply and holding some of Africa’s most concentrated uranium ores, based on recent evaluations by the World Nuclear Association.

In 2022 alone, the country provided over a quarter of the European Union’s uranium imports, according to data from Euratom, including nearly 1.9 million kilograms exported to France.

These shipments are essential to fueling France’s nuclear power plants, accounting for around 15% to 17% of the uranium used in its energy production.

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