Rosatom is in advanced talks with Egypt, Togo, Namibia and Tanzania about supplying floating nuclear power units, senior executives of the Russian state corporation said on October 28 at a Russia–Africa forum, according to Reuters. Vladimir Aptekarev, deputy head of its machine-building division, said 38 African countries had coastlines suitable for hosting the units.
For international customers, Rosatom is offering 100-megawatt floating generating units equipped with RITM-200M reactors adapted to warm climates. The reactors are housed aboard a vessel that can be towed to its destination, requiring less land-based infrastructure than a conventional nuclear plant. The only floating nuclear power station currently in operation is in Russia’s Chukotka region, where it began operating in 2020.
Rosatom proposes supplying electricity under power purchase agreements, with maintenance and refuelling carried out in Russia. Aptekarev said the units could operate for up to 60 years. Rosatom chief executive Alexei Likhachev named the four countries involved in discussions but did not announce signed contracts to build floating plants for them.
Rosatom is already building Egypt’s land-based El Dabaa nuclear station, comprising four 1,200-megawatt reactors. That separate project does not mean Egypt has approved a new floating-plant purchase.