State-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) on Friday agreed a deal on developing nuclear energy in Kenya, as the African nation looks to broaden its sources of electricity.

The company and the Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the construction of nuclear projects and sharing expertise, South Korea’s energy ministry said in a statement.

East Africa’s largest economy aims to add nuclear power with a total capacity of 4,000 megawatts by 2033, the ministry said.
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Blackouts are common in Kenya, partly because of an ageing energy network and insufficient generation capacity. Many businesses in Nairobi and other big towns operate back-up generators.

South Korea, the world’s fifth-biggest user of nuclear power, has developed its own nuclear industry, constructing and operating its reactors through KEPCO.

A KEPCO-led consortium in 2009 won a contract to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates, which are under construction.