Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity of the Republic of the Sudan and Rosatom signed documents for development of cooperation in peaceful use of atomic energy in the Republic of the Sudan
On May 15, 2018, in Sochi, within the framework of the X International Forum “ATOMEXPO 2018”, the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity of the Republic of the Sudan and Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation signed a memorandum on cooperation in education and personnel training for the Sudanese nuclear power industry, as well as a memorandum on cooperation in public acceptance of nuclear energy in the Republic of the Sudan.
The Memoranda were signed by Rosatom Deputy Director General for international relations Nikolay Spasskiy, from the Russian side, and State Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity of the Republic of Sudan Yousif Hamza Yousif Abdullah, from the Sudanese side.
The Memoranda represent framework agreements on cooperation in two key areas of the Sudanese program of peaceful use of nuclear energy: personnel training and public acceptance.
In particular, within the framework of the Memorandum on cooperation in personnel training, the parties agreed to implement joint projects in education and personnel training for the nuclear power and related industries. There are plans to develop a program of personnel training as part of Sudanese nuclear infrastructure; establish close relationship between relevant educational organizations; arrange practical training, summer schools, seminars, academic Olympics, conferences and round tables on nuclear issues; train teachers for Sudanese universities and other educational organizations of the country; develop field-specific educational and scientific materials; exchange students, etc.
The Memorandum on Cooperation in Public Acceptance envisages the cooperation between the parties as part of preparation and implementation of public and media relations campaign. In particular, the parties are intended to develop programs aimed at raising public awareness of nuclear technology and its applications; organize educational events for media and public opinion leaders, as well as international field-specific conferences, round tables and exhibitions with participation of international nuclear technologies experts; develop informational and educational materials aimed at raising public awareness about social and economic benefits from projects in peaceful use of nuclear energy, and safety of advanced nuclear power technologies; information and experience exchange, etc.
The Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity of the Republic of the Sudan and Rusatom Overseas JSC have previously signed a Project Development Agreement (PDA) for the construction of a floating nuclear power plant in Sudan. According to the PDA, the parties will explore the possibility of constructing a floating NPP in Sudan.