Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom could supply floating nuclear power plants to coastal African countries and is in advanced discussions with at least four nations, senior company executives said on Wednesday at a Russia-Africa Summit.
Vladimir Aptekarev, deputy head of Rosatom's machine-building division, said that 38 of Africa's more than 50 countries have sufficient coastline to host a Russian-made floating power unit.
At present, only one floating nuclear power plant is in operation globally, in Russia's remote Chukotka region, dating from 2020. Floating plants use smaller reactors, are contained within a vessel which can be towed to a destination and require less infrastructure on land. They also make it possible to secure a new source of energy quickly and at a lower cost.
"As a first step, a floating nuclear power unit can serve as a good entry point, enabling a country both to address its energy needs and to join the nuclear club," said Aptekarev.
Rosatom is proposing implementing such projects under a power purchase agreement (PPA) model, with servicing and refuelling cycles carried out in Russia, allowing the unit to operate for up to 60 years.
"With this source of electricity, we are effectively addressing all the key issues and challenges facing the African continent," he said.
Rosatom is currently building Egypt's first nuclear power plant, El Dabaa, which will become the second nuclear power station on the African continent after South Africa's Koeberg plant, built using French technology in the mid-1980s. The project comprises four 1,200-MW power units with Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors.
Rosatom Chief Executive Alexei Likhachev told reporters the company is in advanced discussions on potential floating nuclear power plant projects with Egypt, Togo, Namibia and Tanzania.
The prospect of deploying floating nuclear power plants in Egypt could also gain momentum following a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Egypt scheduled for Wednesday, he said.
For international markets, Rosatom is offering floating power units with a capacity of 100 megawatts with RITM-200M reactors adapted for warm climates.
Rosatom has already reached an agreement with Indonesia on what it describes as the world's first export supplies of electricity generated by two floating nuclear power units with a combined capacity of 200 megawatts.
(Reporting by Oksana Kobzeva and Anastasia Lyrchikova. Editing by Andrew Osborn and Alexandra Hudson)