South Sudan, Russia hydropower deal not implemented two years on

JUBA — A hydropower cooperation agreement signed between South Sudan and Russia in August 2024, following a meeting between President Salva Kiir and Vladimir Putin, remains unimplemented nearly two years later, with the government now seeking to revive a stalled Memorandum of Understanding that was intended to boost the country’s energy sector.

The issue resurfaced this week after Minister of Energy and Dams Agok Makur met South Sudan’s Ambassador to Russia, Chol Tong Mayay, to review the status of the delayed cooperation framework. In a statement, the ministry said the meeting discussed “how the country can benefit from Russia’s accumulated expertise as a leading country in the field of energy and dams.”

The statement further confirmed that the two officials examined “the possibility of reviving a memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries in 2024, which has not been implemented,” bringing official acknowledgement for the first time that the agreement remains dormant two years after it was concluded.

The ministry also noted that the meeting “touched on arranging a meeting between the Minister and Aleksandr Kosmodemiyanskiy, the Russian ambassador to the country, soon,” signalling plans for direct diplomatic engagement to re-open talks on the shelved deal.

The unimplemented MoU traces its origins to a broader political understanding reached during a meeting between Kiir and Putin in Moscow in late September 2023, where both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in infrastructure and energy development.

Following that engagement, Russia’s hydroelectric company RusHydro signed a number of agreements with South Sudan in August 2024 in the field of hydropower development and integrated water resource management.

Russian state media Sputnik reported at the time that the agreements were signed during a visit by a RusHydro delegation to South Sudan, with South Sudan’s Ministry of Energy and Dams and the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation signing on behalf of the government.

Despite these formal commitments, no implementation framework, financing plan, or construction timeline has been made public, leaving the agreements inactive nearly two years later.

South Sudan remains among the least electrified countries globally, with national power generation largely dependent on ageing diesel generators. Hydropower development has long been identified as a potential solution to meet rising energy demand, reduce electricity costs, and support economic recovery.

The ministry’s latest statement indicates that Juba is now attempting to re-engage Moscow to unlock progress on the long-delayed partnership. Whether the renewed diplomatic outreach will deliver tangible results remains to be seen.