Rosatom and the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria this week signed a road map on cooperation in the area of peaceful uses of atomic energy.
The document was signed on the sidelines of the 13th International Forum ATOMEXPO by the Director General of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, on behalf of the Russian party, and by the Minister of Energy and Mining, Mohamed Arkab, on behalf of the Algerian party.
The road map provides for further joint activities of the parties within the period of up to 2025 in a wide range of directions, such as nuclear energy, research reactors, and cooperation in the area of nuclear fuel cycle. The parties agreed on further steps associated with the development of scientific and technological cooperation, personnel training, as well as cooperation on the global stage in the area of peaceful uses of atomic energy.
The parties also mapped out several joint arrangements as part of the document, including the organization of meetings of joint working groups, and technical tours.
Commenting on the signing, the Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev said: “Our relations with the Algerian partners are developing dynamically. Last spring, we introduced our Algerian colleagues to the energy solutions of Rosatom and today we signed a document that defines the architecture of further cooperation between the Russian Federation and Algeria in the area of nuclear energy in its specific directions,”
“We are totally encouraging our Algerian partners to develop the nuclear industry in the country. The nuclear technologies make not only a significant contribution to the responses to pressing and essential economic, energy and social problems, but also are an important step in the development of the science, human potential and ensure the technological sovereignty of the country. We are sure that our long-term partnership and unique solutions, unparalleled anywhere in the world, which Rosatom is currently offering globally, will ensure the groundwork for qualitative development of Algeria in the area of nuclear energy”. said Likhachev
Mali-Russia Agreement
A day earlier, Russia and Mali had signed a roadmap at the Sirius Federal Territory for establishing a dialogue in the field of peaceful atomic energy.
Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Bintou Camara, Minister of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Mali, signed the document.
The roadmap defines specific steps for both parties to create human resources capacity of the West African country in the field of peaceful atom, to develop nuclear infrastructure and to form a positive public opinion in Mali regarding nuclear energy. Following the creation of an international legal framework for cooperation, the parties intend to work on the implementation of nuclear generation projects in Mali and the non-energy application of radiation technologies in agriculture and medicine.
Cooperation between the Russian Federation and Algeria is being implemented by the Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in the area of peaceful uses of nuclear energy signed in September 2014. In March 2023 Rosatom and the Algerian Atomic Energy Commission (COMENA) jointly organized a workshop on nuclear energy solutions for key stakeholders and companies in the Algerian energy market for the first time during which various directions of potential cooperation between the parties were reviewed in detail. In September 2023 Rusatom Healthcare JSC and COMENA signed the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in nuclear medicine.
Russia has a long history of successful cooperation with the countries of the region in the area of peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Starting from the 1960s, research reactors (first in the region) based on Russian technologies with a capacity of up to 5 MW were built in a number of countries. Russia also provides training in the area of nuclear energy for the specialists from these countries. Rosatom is currently implementing the largest project in Africa – construction of El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant in Egypt – which will consist of four units with a total capacity of 4800 MW per unit using generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors.
ATOMEXPO International Forum is currently one of the main exhibition events of the world nuclear industry, organized with the support of Rosatom. The forum has been held since 2009.
KBC Correspondent
