14:00
Sudan
will be the first nuclear power plant in East Africa. A Chinese state-owned
company has signed a framework agreement with Sudan to build the east African
country's first nuclear power plant, an official in Khartoum said on Tuesday.
The
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) signed a memorandum of understanding
with the electricity ministry on Monday to build nuclear reactors that would
help to generate electricity.
"The
agreement will allow Sudan to build in the future a nuclear plant to generate
nuclear energy for peaceful use," ministry spokesman Mohamed Abdelrahim
Jawish told AFP.
"This
preliminary agreement was signed on Monday and we are now talking of
capacities," he added.
In
2012, Sudan informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of its intention to
pursue nuclear technology amid an increased demand for electricity from the
country's growing population.
The
deal with CNNC was a result of President Omar al-Bashir's visit to China last
year, when he signed a strategic cooperation agreement, officials said.
Sudan's
current annual power generation capacity is about 3,000 megawatts, but demand
is expected to rise significantly over the next few years.
Chinese
state-owned energy companies have been seeking to promote homegrown nuclear
technology and to strike energy deals worldwide.
CNNC
is already working with Argentina to build the South American country's fourth
and fifth nuclear reactors. It has also signed deals to build nuclear power plants in Romania,
Saudi Arabia, and Kenya.
The
Chinese corporation's deals are in line with President Xi Jinping's aggressive
foreign policy initiatives that include promoting homegrown technologies
abroad.
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