Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom has received a number of applications from African countries to consider projects to build new nuclear power plants (NPPs), Rosatom head Alexey Likhachev said.
In particular, there is renewed interest in nuclear power from South Africa. In addition, Rosatom is preparing to build a mini-hydroelectric power plant in a country in an African country, Likhachev revealed.
"We have received an inquiry from one of the countries about mini hydroelectric power plant. We are now in the commercial stage. And I think... we will start implementing this project in the near future," he said.
The technologies of small hydroelectric power plants once became one of the non-nuclear businesses of Rosatom.
Last December, Alexey Kononenko, vice president of Atomstroyexport, the managing company of Rosatom's engineering division, said that Rosatom is ready to support the construction of nuclear power plants in African countries.
One of Rosatom's most high-profile projects in Africa is the construction of the El Dabaa nuclear power plant in Egypt. At the end of January, the Russian corporation started the construction of the fourth unit of the NPP.
In October, Rosatom signed a memorandum with the government of Burkina Faso on the construction of a nuclear power plant. In addition, Rosatom is strengthening cooperation with other African countries, including Mali, Zimbabwe and Burundi, with which the company has signed agreements on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Last summer, at the Second Russia-Africa Summit, Rosatom proposed creating a nuclear fleet for Africa to provide the continent with electricity.