The Government of the Russian Federation has approved a draft agreement on the basic principles of cooperation in the construction of a low-power nuclear power plant in Myanmar. The draft agreement was submitted by Rosatom and agreed with the Russian Foreign Ministry and other interested federal executive bodies. The project was also pre-developed with Myanmar.
The agreement will be concluded between the governments of the two countries. The signing will be preceded by negotiations, the conduct of which is entrusted to Rosatom with the participation of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Changes in the text are possible, but they will not be of a fundamental nature.
The draft agreement provides for the construction in Myanmar of a low-power NPP (ASMM – Atomnoi Stantsii Maloi Moshnosti) with a capacity of at least 110 MWe based on Russian pressurised water reactors. Although the draft document does not specify that RITM reactors will be installed at the first Myanmar NPP, These are the reactors used in Russian ASMMs.
Article 2 of the draft agreement lists the areas of cooperation – engineering research, environmental impact assessment, design and construction of the ASMM, supply of equipment and materials, installation and adjustment, fuel supply, commissioning, warranty service, handling of used fuel, training and a number of other areas.
For the purpose of performing work, delivering goods and providing services, the norms and rules in force in Russia will be applied, as if it were being built on the territory of the Russian Federation.
In 2023, Rosatom and Myanmar’s Ministry of Science & Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on nuclear infrastructure assessment and enhancement on the sidelines of the Russian Energy Week. Under the MOU, current needs for the development of nuclear infrastructure in Myanmar would be assessed and a work plan would be drawn up to identify priority areas important for implementation of a low-power NPP. The development of nuclear infrastructure would be carried out in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency approaches and recommendations and in line with Rosatom’s best practices.
