NAYPYIDAW, January 14. /TASS/. Russia and Myanmar have agreed to cooperate in 14 fields of nuclear energy application under an intergovernmental agreement, Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations of Myanmar Kan Zaw told TASS in an exclusive interview.
"According to the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Union of Myanmar on Cooperation in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes, both sides have agreed to cooperate in 14 areas of nuclear energy use. The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) has been formed and is co-chaired by the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology," Kan Zaw said.
"The nuclear power generation system has many advantages over other energy sources for future energy security and stability. To support the country’s electricity demand through the use of nuclear energy as an alternative solution, the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on the fundamental principles of cooperation in the construction of a small nuclear power plant (SNPP) in Myanmar is proceeding according to the signing procedure," the minister noted.
Myanmar is cooperating with the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom on the feasibility study for the SNPP, Kan Zaw said. The pre-feasibility study was completed in June 2022, he added.
"The Nuclear Energy Program Implementing Organization (NEPIO), the key [element] of the nuclear energy program, has also been established. A nuclear technology information center has been set up in Yangon, and efforts are underway to increase public awareness, including among students, regarding the uses of nuclear technology," the minister said.
"The difference between building a nuclear power plant and building other thermal power plants is the high-safety infrastructure construction, and it must comply with the guidelines of the IAEA, such as 19 infrastructure issues. Therefore, it will take a long time for the first nuclear plant to become operational," the minister concluded, responding to a question about the potential timeframe for the nuclear plant project’s implementation.