Russia has raised the prospect of building a nuclear power plant in uranium-rich Niger, a bold geopolitical move that underscores Moscow’s deepening push into West Africa at France’s expense.
Niger, a vast desert nation on the edge of the Sahara, has long exported uranium to France but still relies on coal and electricity imports from Nigeria to power its own grid. The new military-led government in Niamey has cut ties with Paris, opening the door for Moscow to step in with promises of investment and technology transfer.
In June, Niger nationalized uranium-mining operations previously run by French nuclear group Orano, formerly Areva, clearing space for Russia’s state-owned corporation Rosatom to sign a cooperation agreement with the junta. Officials say the deal covers power generation, medical applications, and training for local specialists.
If completed, the project would mark the first nuclear power initiative in West Africa. Whether it ever materializes is uncertain. But already, analysts say Russia has shown it understands the depth of Nigerien frustrations with France.
For more than 50 years, Orano mined Niger’s uranium to feed France’s nuclear energy sector, a cornerstone of Paris’s energy security. Yet Niger itself was left dependent on outdated power systems and outside suppliers. “Our task is not simply to participate in uranium mining. We must create an entire system for the development of peaceful atomic energy in Niger,” Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said during a July visit to Niamey.
The strategy is far from altruistic. A nuclear partnership offers Moscow potential economic rewards and, more importantly, influence across the Sahel, where France’s role is rapidly shrinking. Russia could also gain access to Imouraren, one of the world’s largest untapped uranium deposits. Orano’s rights to the site were revoked after last year’s coup, just months after France had revived plans to develop it.
Control of Niger’s uranium would strengthen Russia’s position in global supply chains at a moment when nuclear power is being revived worldwide as an alternative to fossil fuels. Russian companies may also seek to purchase some of the 1,400 tonnes of “yellowcake” uranium concentrate stockpiled at Orano’s Arlit mine, seized by the Nigerien state in June.
China and Iran had also shown interest, though Washington warned Niamey against pursuing a uranium deal with Tehran.
Still, experts caution that the vision of a nuclear power plant in Niger raises immense challenges. Such projects require billions in capital, years of construction, reliable industrial demand, and above all, security—something in short supply in a region beset by jihadist insurgencies. France never seriously considered building a nuclear facility in Niger, instead shipping raw uranium to Normandy for processing.
Even if Niger’s nuclear dream is distant, the political symbolism is immediate. Anti-France protests have swept Niamey since the 2023 coup, with demonstrators waving Russian flags and denouncing decades of French dominance. Niger’s junta has cast Orano as a symbol of exploitation, with one official telling Le Monde that the company had been “stuffing itself with our country’s natural resources.”
Across the Sahel, other military regimes in Mali and Burkina Faso are also rewriting contracts with foreign mining companies to ensure more profits remain at home. Moscow has seized on this wave of resource nationalism, offering itself as an ally willing to treat African partners differently from the West.
Whether Rosatom ever breaks ground on a Nigerien nuclear plant remains doubtful. But one fact is clear: in the contest for influence, Russia has read the political mood better than France—and for now, it is winning.