A delegation of technical experts from the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom has arrived in Burkina Faso to negotiate the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in the West African country, local media outlet Burkina24 reported on August 6.

"We place big hopes on this visit," said Yacouba Zabre Gouba, Burkina Faso's Minister of Energy, Mines and Open Pits, in a statement reported by the news portal. "We are ready to discuss all the technical details, identify tasks we face to implement it [the project]. We hope construction of a nuclear power plant will make it possible for us to solve many economic problems," the minister added.

The project is part of the Kremlin’s nuclear diplomacy that is using Russia’s advanced nuclear technology and dominance of production of refined uranium to bind partners to it more closely through energy security dependence, particularly in Africa.

The visit, which began earlier this week, is set to continue until August 9, as the Russian specialists engage in detailed discussions with their Burkinabe counterparts.

In March 2024, Burkina Faso and Russia signed a roadmap aimed at establishing cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. This roadmap marks a significant step in Burkina Faso's energy strategy, as the country seeks sustainable solutions to its economic challenges and power supply issues.

The potential construction of a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso is seen as a crucial development in the country's efforts to enhance its energy infrastructure and boost economic growth.

Russia’s nuclear exports are booming as it signs dozens of deals around the world and the far growing power-hungry African nations have been especially receptive, as Rosatom usually offers extremely attractive financing terms, but projects also come with 60-year operating, maintenance and fuel-supply contracts.

There are currently more than 5,000 Russian citizens in Bangladesh, that was thrown into turmoil on August 5 after the Bangladesh President Sheikh Hasina was ousted and fled the country. Most of them are working at the construction site of the Rooppur NPP, 180 km from Dhaka (the largest joint project of the two countries), which got the go-ahead earlier this year to provide power to the fast growing Republic.

Rosatom has received applications from several African countries for the construction of new NPPs, according to the company’s CEO Alexei Likhachev. South Africa is the only country with an operating NPP in Africa. Rosatom is currently building an NPP in Egypt. Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia and Uganda have also expressed their interest in NPPs, according to TASS.

Russia is already building a new unit at Egypt’s Dabaa NPP at a reported cost of $30bn, and will consist of four power units with a combined capacity of 4.8 GW. Egypt, which faces increasing power demand from a population of 105mn, is seeking to position itself as a regional energy hub that exports electricity to neighbouring countries, Reuters reports.

Russian energy companies Gazprom and Rosatom have also said they are ready to collaborate with the South African government to help mitigate the ongoing energy crisis that has plagued the country’s economic development for years with relentless power outages, or load shedding.

The governments of South Africa and Russia are looking at Russian state-of-the-art technologies including small modular reactors (SMRs), floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), and large-scale NPPs. Rosatom says within a matter of a few years it could have three nuclear power ships ready to moor and supply power to South Africa, in addition to its one functioning NPP at Koeberg.

Unit 1 of Koeberg NPP is currently undergoing maintenance and is scheduled to come online in November. However, Unit 2 will then be taken offline, and Eskom also faces a race against time as its nuclear licence expires in July 2024.

Last year Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that Russia and South Korea have been selected to build two NPPs in the country that would generate a total of over 15 GW to deal with an energy shortage.

“The nuclear project comes at a critical time when nations are dealing with how to ensure energy security for socio-economic development,” Museveni said at the time.