Russia, Ethiopia sign document calling for construction of nuclear plant

1d ago | Source: Reuters

: Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed watch Director General of Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom Alexei Likhachev and Ethiopia’s Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos exchanging documents during a meetin

Russia and Ethiopia signed a document on Thursday calling for the planning and construction of a nuclear power plant in the east African country, RIA news agency quoted Rosatom, the state-owned Russian nuclear corporation, as saying.

An action plan on development and construction of the facility was signed during a nuclear power forum by the general director of Rosatom, Aleksei Likhachev, and Ashebir Balcha, CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Company, RIA said.

The document said the two sides agreed to create a detailed construction plan and a "road map" for the technical and economic foundation of the project and an intergovernmental agreement to proceed.

The agreement also calls for training for staff in operating the plant and developing the nuclear sector.

Earlier, Niger's mining minister, Ousmane Abarchi, said his country wanted to build two 2,000-megawatt nuclear reactors in partnership with Rosatom.

South Africa is the only country in Africa with an operational nuclear power plant, but reactors are under construction in Egypt

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)