Niger plans to build two nuclear reactors in partnership with Russia

Niger plans to build two 2,000-megawatt nuclear reactors in partnership with Russia’s state-owned nuclear company, Rosatom, Mining Minister Ousmane Abarchi announced on Thursday.

Speaking at a nuclear forum in Moscow, Abarchi invited Russia to deepen cooperation in the sector, according to Reuters. “Please, let’s develop our uranium deposits together,” he told a nuclear forum in Moscow.

Rosatom chief Alexei Likhachev welcomed the proposals, calling them “extremely interesting.”

The West African nation, which ranked as the world’s eighth-largest uranium producer in 2024, is seeking to harness its reserves to expand power generation.

Abarchi stressed that the projects would be developed under the oversight of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Yes, we have big ambitions, but this is very important for us. This is very important for the entire African continent,” he added.

The announcement builds on a nuclear cooperation agreement signed in July between Niger and Russia, part of a broader deal Moscow struck with the three military-led governments of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES)—Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

If implemented, the initiative would place Niger among the few African nations pursuing nuclear power. At present, South Africa is the continent’s only operator of a nuclear plant, while Egypt is constructing new reactors.

Across Africa, momentum is growing for nuclear cooperation with Russia. In March, Algeria’s Ministry of Energy signed a memorandum of cooperation with Rosatom.

In July, the Russian state-owned firm inked a nuclear deal with the Congo Republic, and most recently, Russia and Uganda unveiled plans to jointly develop a nuclear power plant.