Bolivia and the Russian state company Rosatom have signed an accord to support a civilian nuclear program being developed by the South American country, Energy Minister Luis Alberto Sanchez said Thursday.

Bolivia announced plans last year to develop nuclear power in part to diversify its energy sources.

Sanchez said Rosatom will support the nuclear energy project through a research center that La Paz will establish.

Bolivia has previously signed nuclear agreements with France and Argentina, and the International Atomic Energy Agency has said it will help the Bolivians establish world-class security standards.

Bolivia has not yet quantified its uranium reserves, but the presence of the radioactive material has been reported in the regions of Potosi and Tarija.

In October 2010, President Evo Morales announced agreements with Iran to use its technology to build a nuclear power plant in Bolivia, but nothing has been said publicly about it since.