The visit of a delegation from the atomic agency is in line with the declared ambition of Captain Ibrahim Traoré to equip the country with a nuclear power plant in 2023 in order to reduce energy dependence.
A delegation from the Russian Atomic Energy Agency (ROSATOM) has been in Ouagadougou since Sunday, August 4, 2024, where it met with Burkina Faso’s Minister of Energy, Yacouba Zabré Gouba.
According to the minister, the purpose of the visit is to implement the roadmap signed between the two parties in March 2024 for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Burkina.
“We will be discussing much more technical aspects so that we can get rid of everything that needs to be done beforehand so that we can get on with the actual construction of this power plant,” said Mr. Gouba.
Talks will focus on the implementation and impact of the project and will involve the ministries of environment, higher education, health and agriculture.
The ROSATOM experts “will be able to put their finger on the realities of the energy issue in Burkina Faso,” said the government representative, who believes that a nuclear power plant “will be able to definitively and permanently resolve Burkina Faso’s energy deficit.
The nuclear power plant “will be a tangible fact (…) Both parties will do their utmost to deliver the infrastructure within a reasonable timeframe,” promised the energy minister.
In October 2023, the Burkinabe government and the Russian nuclear giant signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso to double the country’s electricity production by 2030.
