Algeria’s Ministry of Energy and Mining has signed a cooperation agreement with Russia’s state-owned company for nuclear energy, Rosatom. The agreement, concluded on March 26, 2024, sets out the scope for the countries’ cooperation on nuclear energy over the next two years. The areas of cooperation include nuclear applications in sectors such as healthcare, radiotherapy, research reactors, the pharmaceutical sector, and nuclear energy and the nuclear fuel cycle. This agreement, which was developed under the framework of the 2014 Russian-Algeria Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation, also builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded between the two countries last September. The previous MoU, signed on the sidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) General Conference, was focused on cooperation in the nuclear sector for non-energy applications of the technology.
Algeria does not currently have any nuclear energy programs in place, but the country’s nuclear infrastructure includes two research reactors that are used for the production of radioisotopes, nuclear, and training. The recent agreement with Russia does not necessarily indicate plans for the expansion of its nuclear sector to include the development and operation of nuclear power generating reactors in the country, but they nonetheless signal the desire and intent to expand its nuclear capabilities more broadly. The Middle East is a key region for Russia’s strategic interests as they relate to the export of its nuclear technologies and infrastructure. In addition to construction of nuclear power plants underway in Turkey and Egypt, Russia has also signed cooperation agreements with Jordan, UAE, Saudia Arabia, Tunisia, and Morocco, and have explored cooperation pathways with other regional countries.