[Op Ed] Why Russia is building a nuclear power plant in Burkina Faso

livus, 7 months ago

Excerpts:

We have an extremely rich region in terms of natural resources, where gold, uranium, iron zinc, manganese ore, bauxite, phosphorites, oil, and gas are mined (and sold). There are also reserves of tungsten and titanium ores.

At the same time, the region's countries are among the poorest in the world regarding economic development. Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana have the best GDP per PPP.

Finally, another feature of this part of Africa is extreme political instability and (with rare exceptions) skepticism about the ability (willingness) of the EU and the US to work with local states as equal partners and invest in developing their economies....

West Africa is one of the core regions of interest for the Russian Federation. Russian PMCs or instructors are present in all problematic states to one degree or another. For example, the Wagner Group is active in Mali and Burkina Faso. Small units of this PMC (as well as their political technologists and instructors) are known to be present in Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, and Benin. Moreover, in 2023, Benin's President Talon (allegedly a pro-Western democrat) stated it was the "sovereign right of the states of the region" to invite and use Wagner PMCs. Lukoil's representative office operates in Côte d'Ivoire, with security provided by Lukom-A (Lukoil's former security service, now operating as a PMC).

It is worth noting that Lukom-A, in addition to the physical security of facilities, specializes in information gathering and electronic espionage...

The first question that arises is who will build it and for what cost. It is doubtful that any of these countries would have enough money to actually "buy a turnkey nuclear power plant." In Burkina Faso, even more so. Once again, it is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Thus, we are discussing a joint venture in which Russia likely owns more than half. In reality, it will most likely be a Russian facility with Russian personnel under Russian protection. It's not just about the plant itself. It is necessary to create an entire industry: to build power lines, balance power plants, make a dispatching service, and much more. If Russia controls all of this, then we can talk about control over the country's economy. Old industries will continue to work, but any development will be possible only with Russian consent or participation (after all, the electric switch will be in Russian hands).

livus, 7 months ago

The most important factor is political bonuses that go beyond the region regarding their impact. Russia demonstrates that, unlike France, it is ready to implement large-scale infrastructure projects. Moreover, such activity directly depends on the level of political cooperation with the Kremlin. In this logic, the choice of Burkina Faso, one of the poorest former French colonies, is quite apparent. Investments of several billion dollars and transforming a backward country into the most significant regional exporter of electricity is an excellent geopolitical "advertisement." In other words, Russia has already sent a signal to the elites of several African countries.