Ghana: Russia Agrees To Cooperate On 2,000 MW Nuclear Power Plant

Russia has agreed to work with Ghana to develop a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant to strengthen energy security and support industrialisation, Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said.

The commitment followed bilateral talks between Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow.

Nuclear energy cooperation was among six areas covered by the commitments announced by Ghana.

The ministry’s announcement did not specify the reactor technology, financing arrangements, construction timetable or location of the proposed plant.

Ghana is in the second phase of its nuclear power programme, which involves preparations for construction, including site assessment, engagement with potential vendors and the development of institutional and regulatory capacity.

The country has identified Nsuban in the Western Region as its preferred site for its first nuclear power plant, with Obotan in the Central Region as an alternative.

Detailed site characterisation and environmental studies have faced funding constraints, according to the World Nuclear Association’s October 2026 assessment.

Ghana’s engagement with potential nuclear technology suppliers predates the latest announcement.

In November 2021, Nuclear Power Ghana said 15 vendors from China, the United States, Russia, South Korea, Canada and France had expressed interest in participating in its programme.

Six proposals involved large reactors, while nine concerned small modular reactors, the organisation said at the time.

Russia also operates the Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s only operating floating nuclear power plant. Located at Pevek in Russia’s Chukotka region, the facility supplies electricity and heat and entered commercial operation in 2020. Its two reactors have a combined electrical capacity of about 70 MW.

Ghana’s announcement did not identify floating nuclear technology as an option for the proposed 2,000 MW project.

Ghana has also pursued cooperation with Chinese and U.S. partners on large-reactor and small modular reactor projects.

How the proposed Russian partnership would fit into those existing arrangements remains unclear.