Russia and Rwanda have signed a roadmap for the development of a small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power project, the state nuclear corporation Rosatom reported on Tuesday. 

The agreement follows Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev’s statement in May that Moscow and Kigali had reached an understanding on the construction of a nuclear power plant.

It was signed in Moscow following the first meeting of the Russia-Rwanda Joint Coordinating Committee on nuclear cooperation. The talks focused on the planned nuclear power project, the creation of a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Rwanda, the development of the country’s nuclear infrastructure, workforce Training, and regulatory issues.

According to Dr. Lassina Zerbo, energy advisor to the president and chairman of the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board, the country aims to add nuclear power to its energy mix in the early 2030s to meet growing electricity demand.

“We are moving from framework agreements to joint work on concrete tracks: from training national personnel and developing nuclear infrastructure to projects in nuclear science and small modular reactors. Rwanda is building its nuclear program consistently and responsibly, and Rosatom is ready to be a reliable partner for the country at every stage of this journey,” the first deputy director Kirill Komarov has said.

Speaking to RT in 2025, Zerbo said that SMRs could provide a more affordable alternative to conventional large-scale nuclear power plants, describing them as a “plug-and-play” solution that can work with existing electricity grids, avoiding costly infrastructure upgrade, and major investments in grid modernization.

Russia and Rwanda have been developing nuclear cooperation since signing an intergovernmental agreement on the peaceful use of nuclear energy in 2018. A year later, the two countries agreed to build a Centre for Nuclear Science and Technology in Rwanda, which is expected to include a 10 MW research reactor and a network of laboratories.

Rosatom has been actively expanding its presence in Africa in recent years, including through the construction of Egypt’s El Dabaa nuclear power plant, the continent’s first large-scale nuclear energy project.