Iraq is negotiating with Russia, France and the United States to discuss the prospect of building three civilian nuclear reactors. Kamal Hussein Latif, head of the Iraqi Radioactive Sources Regulatory Agency, said that they have visited the Russian Embassy in Baghdad twice.

Meetings with Russian officials resulted in a memorandum of understanding on involving the Russian National Atomic Energy Company (Rosatom) in the plan, and further talks with French diplomats will be held. He said: "Our French counterparts are eager to cooperate with Iraq in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. We are waiting for full approval before releasing more details of cooperation. In this preliminary stage before the bidding phase, we are looking for common cooperation with our partners. position."

A meeting with U.S. officials has been requested, but it has not yet been held. Latif also hinted at the existence of a plan, but it has not yet been submitted to the government, which details the cost of building the reactor. Latif said that if approved, its details will be made public.

Nuclear reactors in the Middle East

Saran Ajibi, a member of the Security and Defense Committee of Parliament, said he hopes that Iraq will build reactors similar to its neighbors, although the required infrastructure will put pressure on the government’s finances.

In the region, only Iran and the UAE have operating nuclear reactors, although Turkey’s Akkuyu plant is under construction, and two more are under construction. Saudi Arabia hopes to generate 17 GW of electricity from nuclear resources by 2040. Egypt is cooperating with Rosatom on a $25 billion plan to build four advanced third-generation reactors in Dhaba.

Since the Gulf War in 2003, Iraq has been suffering from power shortages. It is estimated that the installed capacity in 2019 can generate 18GW of electricity, while the peak demand in summer is 24GW. The power shortage is regarded by many as an important root cause of political instability in the country. Editor/Huang Lijun