On the sidelines of Russian Energy Week, the State Atomic Energy Corporation “Rosatom” and the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of nuclear infrastructure assessment and enhancement.
The document was signed by Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, and Dr. Myo Thein Kyaw, Union Minister for Science and Technology of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
The parties plan to determine the current needs for the development of the nuclear infrastructure of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and draw up a work plan for priority areas important for implementation of the small nuclear power plant construction project in the country. The document determines that the development of nuclear infrastructure will be carried out in accordance with the IAEA approaches and recommendations as well as Rosatom’s best practices.
The memorandum also provides for building up further Russian-Myanmar cooperation in the field of training and human resources development, enhancement of safety culture in the organizations, participating in the nuclear energy development program of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
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In February 2023, the Russian Federation and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on cooperation in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement is an essential milestone in developing cooperation between Russia and Myanmar on nuclear energy. The parties agreed on cooperation, aimed in particular at the implementation of the project for the construction of a small nuclear power plant (SNPP) on the territory of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
Rosatom has technologies for the construction of small nuclear power plants, both floating and land-based. Rosatom is already implementing a project for the construction of a small nuclear power plant in Yakutia based on proprietary technology of RITM-200 marine propulsion reactors, which had been developed with consideration of the long-time experience of small-scale reactors operations on the vessels of the Russian nuclear ice-breakers fleet. Small nuclear power plants are characterized by their compactness and modularity, short construction period and high safety standards. The world’s only floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) “Akademik Lomonosov” is currently operating in Chukotka (Russia).
Rosatom also actively cooperates with the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in the field of wind energy development, aiming to build 372 MW of wind energy. For one of the projects, wind power potential assessment, a pre-design survey, and a feasibility study begin.
