NUCLEAR ENERGY PROSPECTS IN MONGOLIA AND BENIN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF INSTITUTIONAL READINESS

Abstract

The article compares the institutional readiness of Mongolia and Benin to develop nuclear energy, the appeal to which in both countries is caused by a structural energy deficit, and not an abstract technological interest. According to the IAEA method (“Milestones Approach”), the regulatory framework, progress towards the creation of NEPIO, resource position and public legitimization of atomic programs are compared, the conditions (regulatory, personnel, financial) that determine the further trajectory of each country are assessed. As a comparative material, the Russian experience in operating nuclear power plants and the export model of Rosatom (El Dabaа project in Egypt), as well as the experience of other African countries, are used, which makes it possible to assess the realism of the terms and formats of financing. It has been shown that with a formal coincidence of the starting positions, the trajectories of the two countries are different: Mongolia relies on its own uranium reserves and a dated schedule, Benin, on a compact regulatory framework without its own fuel resource. It is concluded that the launch of the first blocks in both countries is unrealistic earlier than the mid-2030s.