· 𝑆𝑜𝑢𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑢𝑑𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑅𝑢𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑎 𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑠 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑅𝑢𝑠𝐻𝑦𝑑𝑟𝑜 𝑀𝑜𝑈 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐸𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 𝐶𝑜𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛. 𝐽𝑢𝑏𝑎 – 𝑆𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 3, 2026:

South Sudan is seeking to reactivate a stalled bilateral energy agreement with Russia to address the nation’s severe electricity shortages and expand power generation infrastructure.

Minister of Energy and Dams Agok Makur Kur met in Juba with Russian Ambassador to South Sudan Alexander Kosmodemiyansky to discuss reviving a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Russian state hydro-power giant RusHydro.

While implementation of the landmark deal has remained limited since its signing, both diplomats explored concrete mechanisms to translate existing high-level commitments into active technical projects. Discussions focused on expanding joint operations across hydropower generation, oil and gas, renewable energy, and technology transfer.

The original framework—signed in August 2024 by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation following bilateral talks between President Salva Kiir and Russian President Vladimir Putin—outlined broad cooperation in water infrastructure and clean power.

Key targets under the framework include the construction of hydroelectric dams, water treatment plants, reservoirs, and hafirs, alongside rainwater harvesting and geothermal exploration. The agreement also prioritizes human resource development, offering technical exchange programs and academic scholarships for South Sudanese engineers and energy professionals.

Despite earlier ministry efforts to reboot the agreement, progress remained frozen. The renewed diplomatic push aims to leverage Russian technical expertise to meet South Sudan’s growing industrial and domestic energy demands, reinforcing bilateral ties between Juba and Moscow.