Milena Mayorga, El Salvador’s Ambassador to the United States, announced that the country signed a memorandum with the U.S. to construct its first nuclear power plant. The plant will be ready in seven years.
“Today we signed another document with the U.S. for the exchange of technical information and cooperation,” she wrote Tuesday evening. We continue to advance in innovation and clean energy.
Daniel Álvarez, El Salvador’s Director of Energy, Hydrocarbons and Mines, said during the signing, as per local outlets, “We are at the Nuclear Energy Institute, where we have held an important round table between the Government of El Salvador and the Government of the United States, but also important allies on the issue of nuclear energy.”
“This memorandum of understanding was signed specifically between the United States nuclear energy office and the nuclear energy office in El Salvador”, he added.
In February, the U.S. and El Salvador signed a separate Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation (NCMOU) in order to advance “peaceful nuclear cooperation” between the two countries. “This NCMOU represents an initial step towards establishing a robust civil nuclear partnership between the United States and El Salvador with the aim of enhancing energy security, promoting mutual prosperity through expanded economic cooperation, and promoting the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation,” the State Department said at the time.
In 2024, President Nayib Bukele said the country is “going nuclear” and started the process of acquiring approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to develop nuclear energy.
