Rosatom is negotiating with Niger on the construction of a nuclear power plant, Izvestia reported. “The initiatives of this country indicate interest in the development of peaceful nuclear energy. Rosatom is open to discussing possible forms of interaction and is ready to offer modern, reliable and safe technologies. Discussions are at an early stage, Rosatom told Izvestia.
There are no operating NPPs in Niger, where the electricity sector is experiencing chronic shortages of capacity and network infrastructure. According to the World Bank, only about 20% of the population has access to electricity. A significant part of the generation is provided by thermal stations using petroleum products, with a significant share of electricity dependent on imports from Nigeria.
Niger has been demonstrating interest in nuclear construction since the summer. Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev visited Niger in July 2025 to secure nuclear cooperation. During the visit Rosatom and the Ministry of Energy signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy and related high technologies.
In September 2025, Niger’s Minister of Mining, Ousmane Abarchi, at the Atomic Week international nuclear forum in Moscow that Niamey was offering Rosatom participation in the project to build a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 2,000 MWe and was ready to develop it jointly under IAEA auspices. Rosatom Director General General Alexey Likhachev said Niger’s proposals were “extremely interesting”.
