Ouagadougou: The government of Burkina Faso adopted a bill on Wednesday authorizing privileges and immunities for the benefit of experts and officials of the Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that the country will host for the construction of its nuclear power plant.

The government has agreed that the bill authorizing acceptance of the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be transmitted to the Transitional Legislative Assembly.

These privileges and immunities, at the request of the IAEA, will facilitate the activities and mobility of the agency’s experts and officials and reduce the time limits for authorization of their missions, in the opinion of the government.

Burkina Faso has embarked on the construction of a nuclear power plant by 2030 in order to meet growing electricity needs which are expected to triple in a few years.

The nuclear power plant project, mentioned by President Ibrahim Traoré with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during th
e Russia-Africa summit in July 2023, is experiencing an acceleration in its implementation.

After signing a roadmap at the end of March 2024, the Burkinabè and Russian partners signed three memoranda last June relating to the construction of the nuclear power plant, also providing for the arrival of Russian technicians in Ouagadougou and the definition of a global framework for nuclear cooperation, as the next step.

‘We want to move very quickly following the instructions of the President of Faso,’ suggested the Minister in charge of Energy, Yacouba Zabré Gouba.

Source: Burkina Information Agency