Ethiopia has stepped decisively into the nuclear conversation on the continent. Recently, the country signed a formal cooperation document with Russia’s state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom, setting out plans for the construction of a nuclear power plant. The agreement, announced at a nuclear power forum, was inked by Rosatom’s general director, Aleksei Likhachev, and Ashebir Balcha, CEO of the Ethiopian Electric Company. Both sides committed to preparing a detailed construction blueprint, complete with a technical and economic roadmap, and to drafting an intergovernmental agreement that would allow the project to proceed.
At the core of the deal is not only the promise of electricity generation, but also the creation of an entirely new industrial ecosystem. Training for Ethiopian engineers and plant operators is embedded in the agreement, signaling that this is not envisioned as a turnkey import but as a longer-term transfer of knowledge and skills. The promise of a trained workforce in nuclear sciences could reshape Ethiopia’s position in Africa’s energy landscape, where access to reliable power remains one of the continent’s defining challenges.
Read also: China’s new climate pledge sparks global debate, raises stakes for Africa’s energy future
To put this in context, the World Bank estimates that nearly 44% of Ethiopians still lack access to electricity. The country’s generation capacity relies heavily on hydropower from the Blue Nile, which provides over 80% of supply. Yet climate variability has repeatedly exposed this model’s fragility. Droughts in the Horn of Africa have left hydropower reservoirs depleted, leading to rationing, blackouts, and stunted industrial activity. Nuclear power, with its high-capacity factor and relative insulation from climate shocks, is being positioned by Ethiopian authorities as a hedge against this vulnerability.
Globally, nuclear power is an expensive and complex undertaking. Industry data suggests that a single reactor can take up to 10 years to move from planning to commissioning, with costs stretching into the tens of billions of dollars. Financing remains the largest obstacle for countries like Ethiopia, whose debt-to-GDP ratio surpassed 50% in 2024. Russia’s Rosatom has historically resolved this barrier by offering state-backed loans and building plants under “build-own-operate” models, as seen in Turkey’s Akkuyu project. The Ethiopian deal does not yet disclose its financing structure, but any arrangement will have to balance sovereign debt sustainability with the scale of the promised infrastructure.
Ethiopia’s announcement ties into a growing wave of nuclear ambition. Egypt is already building its first reactors at El Dabaa, a $30 billion megaproject also led by Rosatom. South Africa remains the only African country with an operational nuclear plant, Koeberg, which has been running since the 1980s and supplies about 5% of the nation’s electricity. Niger has expressed interest in constructing reactors to capture more value from its uranium reserves, though its political upheavals complicate timelines. In each case, Rosatom is the common denominator, positioning Russia not just as a mineral buyer, but as a long-term energy partner shaping Africa’s transition beyond fossil fuels.
The sustainability implications are multifaceted. Nuclear energy provides a low-carbon alternative at a time when African nations are under pressure to decarbonize while also expanding power access for industrialization. Unlike intermittent renewables such as solar or wind, nuclear reactors offer steady baseload generation that can anchor industrial corridors and urban growth. Yet the technology carries long-term burdens: radioactive waste storage, high decommissioning costs, and the need for continuous safety regulation. Ethiopia will need to establish a nuclear regulator with strong independence and technical competence, an institution that currently does not exist. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) often provides early-stage support, but sustaining standards requires decades of investment and governance consistency.
Read also: Kenya unveils clean energy policy to achieve 100% green power by 2030 and net-zero by 2050
There is also a question of whether nuclear is the most appropriate choice for Ethiopia’s development pathway. Critics argue that the same billions could be channeled into scaling grid-connected solar, wind, and geothermal resources, all abundant in the Rift Valley, while avoiding the risks of nuclear proliferation and long-term waste. Ethiopia already hosts Africa’s largest hydropower project, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, and has untapped geothermal reserves exceeding 7,000 MW. The nuclear partnership, then, is less about immediate energy economics and more about geopolitical positioning, diversification, and technological prestige.
Ethiopia’s move underscores a central tension in the energy transition. On one hand, nuclear power can deliver clean, stable electricity at a scale few other technologies can match. On the other, it risks importing technological dependency and debt into countries already wrestling with climate vulnerabilities and fiscal fragility. The measure of success will not be the signing of agreements but the institutional ability to regulate, finance, and manage such a project in ways that leave Ethiopia more resilient rather than more exposed.
In the long arc of Africa’s development, Ethiopia’s nuclear deal is significant because it represents a conscious shift from being merely a hydro-powered state to aspiring toward a mixed, industrial-level energy economy. If realized, it could place the country among a small but growing circle of African states positioning nuclear as a backbone of their development strategy. The coming years will show whether this vision matures into a functioning reactor on Ethiopian soil, or whether it remains another ambitious agreement signed on paper but left undone in practice.
Read also: UNGA Climate Summit pushes nations to sharpen climate pledges as COP30 nears
