Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed nuclear energy co-operation during bilateral talks in Moscow on the sidelines of the third Russia-Africa Summit. Abiy reaffirmed that the nuclear sector is a top-priority area of bilateral cooperation.
“The first one is nuclear cooperation. Let us set dates for feasibility work and examine financing options,” he said, according to Kremlin transcript of the talks. “Training Ethiopian engineers and regulators should proceed alongside that work. I would also like cancer diagnosis and treatment to become a practical priority in our nuclear operation.”
He added: “I would really like to begin with specialist training and enabling access to medical isotopes because nuclear science – not only for energy but also for health – might provide great potential and capabilities for Ethiopia to reduce poverty and increase our energy generation which might help so many developmental sectors.”
In a post on X after the talks, Abiy said the meeting was “fruitful” and covered “cooperation in nuclear energy, health, and trade, as well as bilateral and multilateral” issues. The Ethiopian News Agency quoted him as saying the book reflected “our shared commitment to dialogue, mutual understanding.”
During a visit to the Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission before his trip to Moscow, Abiy announced that Ethiopia intends to construct two reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MWe. According to the current plan, these two units are expected to be operational between 2032 and 2034.
He acknowledged that the project will take at least ten years to complete but highlighted nuclear power’s key advantage: reliable, consistent output free from the seasonal fluctuations that affect hydropower and solar.
Three potential sites have already been shortlisted from more than 30 candidates assessed. The final site still needs to undergo feasibility and suitability verification by a third-party international organisation) before it is determined.
Russia is expected to bear 80-90% of the project construction costs, provided in the form of a 25-year low-interest loan, with Ethiopia covering the remainder. The government is also prioritising workforce development and institutional readiness, stressing that nuclear energy must be pursued peacefully, safely, and sustainably.
The history of nuclear cooperation between Russia and Ethiopia began with the signing of a framework memorandum in 2017 between Rosatom and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Science & Technology.
In April 2019, the two sides signed a roadmap for cooperation in nuclear power plant construction and a Centre for Nuclear Science & Technology (CNST). The following October, Russia and Ethiopia signed an intergovernmental framework agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy.
Two memoranda of understanding were signed in April 2021 covering personnel training and enhancing public acceptance of nuclear energy. A more detailed cooperation agreement was signed in 2023, further promoting the NOPP and CNST projects, as well as cooperation in nuclear infrastructure development and personnel training. At the end of 2024, a contract was signed for the development of a feasibility study for the CNST.
During the World Atomic Week in Moscow in September 2025, Rosatom and Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation signed a project action plan, providing for the establishment of a working group, preparation of a roadmap, promotion of intergovernmental agreement signing, and other specific steps.
The Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission was established in October 2025 and in December, Ethiopia held a high-level event to officially launch the national nuclear power programme and put the commission into operation. Rosatom signed a non-disclosure agreement in Moscow, and the two sides held discussions on advancing the project.
In March this year, the Ethiopian Nuclear Energy Commission and Rosatom signed a Strategic Roadmap for Nuclear Energy Development, outlining specific cooperation directions and action plans with Rosatom to construct two 1,200 MWe reactors slated for operation in 2032 and 2034.
