Rosatom, Rwanda discuss nuclear power plant construction project in country

MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Rosatom and Rwanda have discussed cooperation in the non-energy applications of nuclear technologies and a project to build a nuclear power plant in the African country, the Russian state corporation's press service said.

"Rosatom State Corporation and the Republic of Rwanda held in Moscow the first meeting of the Joint Coordinating Committee on Cooperation in the Field of Atomic Energy Use. <…> During the meeting, the parties reviewed cooperation in key areas, including the nuclear power plant construction project, non-energy applications of nuclear technologies, including the establishment of a nuclear science and technology center, human resource development and the creation of national nuclear infrastructure. Regulatory support issues related to the program were also considered separately. Following the meeting, the parties signed a roadmap for the development of a small modular reactor project," Rosatom said in a statement.

According to Lassina Zerbo, energy advisor to the president of the Republic of Rwanda and chairman of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB), the establishment of the Joint Coordinating Committee will enable Rwanda to move toward substantive and regular work across all areas of its nuclear program. Rosatom, in turn, is prepared to serve as a reliable partner for Rwanda at every stage of this process, First Deputy Director General of the state corporation Kirill Komarov said.

Cooperation between Russia and Rwanda in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is developing on a contractual basis. On Dec. 5, 2018, an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy was signed in Moscow. In 2019, on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in Sochi, the parties signed an agreement on the construction of a Nuclear Science and Technology Center in Rwanda, which is to include a 10 MW research reactor and a laboratory complex.