Global Energy giants, Rosatom will spearhead the construction of an ultra-modern Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) in Zambia.

This follows the signing of an MOU between the Russian state owned company and the government of Zambia early this month (May 2018) in Sochi, Russia.

The joint project, a first of its kind for the African country will consist a nuclear research facility based on a multipurpose research water-cooled reactor of up to 10 MW, a state of the art laboratory complex, multipurpose irradiation center as well as a cyclotron-based nuclear medicine center.

The General Director of State Specialized Design Institute JSC (GSPI) Vyacheslav Galushkov signed on behalf of Russia while the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education Mabvuto Sakala initialled for Zambia.

The General Director of the State Corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev was happy at the potentials of the partnership between the two countries.

“Signing the contract opens a new chapter in the partnership between Russia and Zambia. In the nearest future, we plan to start extensive practical works, including engineering surveys at the site of the centre, assessment of nuclear infrastructure and subsequent development plan in accordance IAEA recommendations as well as global and Russian best practice. Construction of the center will enable the Republic of Zambia to become one of the leading players in nuclear technologies application in the Central and Southern African region”.

Zambia stands to gain a lot from this partnership, core of the benefits include a wide application of radiation technologies in medicine, industry and agriculture, as well as the promotion of national education and science through the training of highly qualified experts in various fields.

The project will take maximum six years to complete, and will be located 10 kilometers away from the capital of Zambia, Lusaka.

For more than 60 years, research reactors have been contributing to the development of scientific innovation and education in more than 50 countries around the world.

Currently, there are 245 working research reactors in the world with 58 units operated in Russia alone. Rosatom has built more than 120 research reactors in Russia and abroad.