Niger's Nuclear Aspirations: Russia's Strategic Maneuver Over France

Russia has dangled the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in uranium-rich Niger - a vast, arid state on the edge of the Sahara desert that has to import most of its electricity.

It may be deemed impractical and may never happen, but the concept is yet another move by Moscow to seek a geopolitical advantage over Western nations.

Niger has historically exported the metal for further refining in France, but that is changing as the military-led country cuts off ties with the former colonial power.

The uranium-mining operation operated by French nuclear group Orano was nationalised in June, which cleared the way for Russia to put itself forward as a new partner.

It is talking about power generation and medical applications, with a focus on training local expertise under a co-operation agreement signed between Russian-state corporation Rosatom and the Nigerien authorities.

If ever brought to fruition, this would be the first nuclear power project in West Africa.

Beyond initial discussions, it is unclear how far down this road things will progress. But already, with this first move, Moscow has shown that it grasps the depth of local frustrations.

The shutdown and eventual nationalisation of Orano's operations have been surrounded by mutual recrimination, with the government and the company accusing each other of obstructiveness.

And the junta in power today now seems determined to bring the era of French uranium mining in Niger to an end, with one official telling the Paris newspaper Le Monde that Orano had been stuffing itself with our country's natural resources.

Who can say what Moscow's proposals for nuclear scientific partnership and perhaps even power generation will ever amount to in concrete terms? But one thing is clear, in Niger it is the Russians who have correctly read the political mood.

Written by Paul Melly, a consulting fellow with the Africa Programme at Chatham House in London.