Burundian president explores clean energy collaboration in Foshan

Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye visited Foshan City in south China's Guangdong Province on Friday, to explore possible collaboration with environmental protection and hydrogen industries based there.

During his stay in Foshan, Ndayishimiye visited an industrial park which prioritizes environmental protection, with a highly automated incineration process that converts urban waste into electricity, a solution that could help tackle Burundi's waste management and power supply challenges.

According to the United Nations, Africa's urban population is growing faster than anywhere else in the world and a growing middle class with changing consumption habits is intensifying waste management challenges.

Ndayishimiye also toured a hydrogen technology center, showcasing hydrogen-powered vehicles from shared bikes to heavy-duty trucks.

China is the world's largest producer and consumer of hydrogen energy. Seen as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels, hydrogen is key to China's climate goals, and could help bridge Africa's energy gap as the continent's population and economy grow.

With more than 150 companies in the sector based there, Foshan's Nanhai district leads China's hydrogen push.

China and Burundi celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations last year. Chinese experts are helping to fight poverty in Burundi through crop innovation, particularly hybrid rice. China pledged 50 billion US dollars in financial support to Africa over the next three years, with Burundi among the countries set to benefit from a fresh wave of Chinese investment.

Before the visit to Guangdong, President Ndayishimiye was in Beijing to attend the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The three-day FOCAC summit, which concluded on Friday, was the largest diplomatic event hosted by China in recent years, with the highest attendance of foreign leaders.

Themed "Joining Hands to Advance Modernization and Build a High-Level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," the event aimed to strengthen friendship and outline future cooperation between the two sides.

Burundian president explores clean energy collaboration in Foshan

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Sunday that Ukraine's energy infrastructures came under large-scale Russian attack, with several electrical substations powering the country's nuclear power plants being severely damaged.

Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General, said in the agency's latest update on the situation in Ukraine that operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) across the country had moved to reduce their electricity production as a "precautionary measure" on Sunday morning, following widespread military activities that reportedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure.

According to a report citing information from Ukraine's national regulator, the NPPs -- Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine -- "were not directly impacted and did not shut down," but several electrical substations that support their operation "suffered further damage during the strikes."

"Only two of the country's nine operational reactors currently generate electricity at 100 percent capacity," the director general's statement said.

The statement also noted that IAEA teams visited seven substations across Ukraine in September and October to assess the damage after a spate of Russian attacks in August, and said teams will now consider whether it is necessary to make further visits following Sunday's military activities.

IAEA reports mass damage of electrical substations powering Ukraine's nuclear power plants