NEW DELHI, December 12. /TASS/. Sri Lankan authorities plan to work with Russia to build a nuclear power plant (NPP) on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement between the two countries, Daily Mirror newspaper reported.
"Russia which has already invested in nuclear power generation in Bangladesh and India in the region has shown a keener interest in putting up a plant in Sri Lanka," the newspaper said. A high-level delegation from Russia recently visited Sri Lanka to discuss the proposed cooperation in the nuclear energy sector with authorities, it reported.
"We can implement this project only if the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) is signed between Sri Lanka and Russia. That is now pending," said Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Authority (SLAEA) Chairman S.R.D. Rosa, cited by the newspaper.
Russia offered assistance in terms of capacity building and training of personnel in-situ, the newspaper informed. "According to the proposal, small modular reactors (SMRs) which are advanced nuclear reactors are to be installed in the event a policy decision is taken," The Daily Mirror said. The over $2 bln project has not yet been discussed, the news outlet added.