Representatives from Algeria’s nuclear body and Russian nuclear company Rosatom have taken part in the first talks of the Algerian-Russian Joint Committee for Cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear power.

“The parties discussed ways of further cooperation on the peaceful uses of atomic energy, and devised an action plan for a move on to a new level of cooperation,” the Algerian Commissariat of Atomic Energy (Comena) reported.

In October 2015, Rosatom announced it was beginning consultations with Algeria on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. The North African state is planning to put the nuclear power facility into operation in 2026.

The scheme is part of Rosatom’s aim to broaden its portfolio in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

In November, the Russian state nuclear provider signed an agreement with Cairo for the construction and operation of Egypt’s first nuclear power plant at El-Dabaa.

The deal covers the development of a plant equipped with four 1,200MW reactors.

In March 2015, Rosatom signed an agreement with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) for the construction of two nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of 2,000MW, at a cost of $10bn.

The JAEC sets the legal and political framework for developing nuclear power in Jordan.