- The Nuclear power plant deal is part of Burkina Faso’s target to achieve 95% electricity access for urban areas and 50% for rural areas by 2030.
- Burkina Faso is one of the least electrified countries globally, with only 21 per cent of people connected to power.
Burkina Faso’s military leaders have signed a deal with Russia to build a nuclear power plant to increase electricity supplies. The deal is part of the junta’s latest move to align with Russia after falling out with most of its Western partners. Since it seized power last year, the junta has turned to Russia for economic and military support.
Burkina Faso is one of the least electrified countries globally, with only 21 per cent of people connected to power. The new deal with Russia is a culmination of talks the Burkinabe military ruler, Capt Ibrahim Traore, had with Russian President Vladimir Putin in July during the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow. Capt Traore requested President Putin’s support in setting up a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso. According to him, the plant would help meet the country’s energy demands and those of neighbouring countries.
He said, “We have a critical need for energy. This is an important point for me because we need, if possible, to build a nuclear power station in Burkina Faso to produce electricity. Our position is rather strategic because we are in the heart of West Africa, and we have an energy deficit in the sub-region.”
The deal is part of Burkina Faso’s target to achieve 95 per cent electricity access for urban areas and 50 per cent for rural areas by 2030. Burkina Faso gets most of its electricity from biofuels like charcoal and wood. At the same time, oil products account for one-third of the total energy supply, according to the International Energy Agency. According to the US development agency USAID, Burkina Faso also has one of the highest electricity costs in Africa.
Currently, South Africa is the only African state producing nuclear power commercially. But increasingly, more African nations are moving in the same direction. Russia is helping Egypt to build a nuclear power plant for $30 billion (£24bn). This is following a deal signed by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and President Putin in 2017. Russia also signed a deal to build power plants in Nigeria in 2017, but the project is yet to begin. Kenya has also announced plans to build its first nuclear power plant by 2027. However, it is still yet to decide on its international partner.
In September this year, Rwanda announced that it had opted for Canadian-German company Dual Fluid Energy to build a nuclear reactor by 2028. The Rwandan government said the reactor will be instrumental in meeting its energy demands and building resilience due to climate change. Although access to energy has increased in sub-Saharan Africa in recent years, it still remains low. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, more than 50 per cent of the region’s population still lacks access to electricity.