Russian and Malian officials met on Thursday to further discussions on joint lithium and solar power ventures in Mali, as confirmed by Mali’s Minister of Economy and Finance, Alousseni Sanou, during an event in Moscow.
In July, Mali’s Ministry of Mines signed a memorandum of understanding with Uranium One Group, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned nuclear firm Rosatom, to develop a lithium project in Bougoula, located in southern Mali. “All necessary legal documents have been submitted, and the feasibility study is in progress. We expect the first lithium production to begin within 24 months,” Sanou announced on Mali’s national television, ORTM.
The discussions also included plans for a 200-megawatt (MW) solar power plant to be constructed by Novawind, another Rosatom subsidiary. The solar plant, set to be built 30 km from Mali’s capital, Bamako, in Sanankoroba, is expected to commence construction within five months.
Sanou expressed optimism about the project’s timeline, noting, “All legal documentation is in place, and the groundwork for the plant will soon be underway.”
