Russia to build ‘small’ nuclear reactor in Myanmar

Russia’s government has approved a draft agreement between a Russian state-owned atomic energy corporation and Myanmar’s military junta to build a “small” nuclear power plant in the country, according to a UK-based trade publication. Nuclear Engineering International (NEI) magazine reported last week that the deal, between the regime and the Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corporation, would soon be concluded “between the governments of the two countries.” A junta delegation first discussed plans to work with Rosatom to develop nuclear technology in Myanmar while attending an economic forum in St Petersburg, Russia, in June 2022. Early the following year, the regime announced that it had reached an agreement with Russia that included educating Myanmar nationals in the use of nuclear technology, steps towards adopting a shared regulatory framework, and authorisation of a potential project to build small nuclear power plants in Myanmar. According to the NEI report, Rosatom and the junta’s Ministry of Science and Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding on nuclear infrastructure assessment and enhancement in October of last year. While the report did not indicate where the proposed reactor will be built, it stated that it would have a production capacity of 110 MW of electricity. According to a former Myanmar government official, there is no doubt that the junta will go through with the plan to build a reactor, but the question is how it will pay for it. “It’s likely they’ll have to buy the electricity back from the Russians, which means using hard currencies. Or maybe they’ll barter with them, paying them in copper or other minerals, or perhaps with bombs and weapons,” he said. He added that the type of reactor that is set to be built is a Small Modular Reactor, or SMR, which has the advantage of taking less time to construct and of being less prone to accidents. It is also relatively cheap, costing about the same as coal-powered generation and less than using liquefied natural gas, he said. Min Aung Hlaing has made multiple trips to Russia since seizing power more than three years ago. He has also sent a number of delegations to the country to explore the possibility of acquiring nuclear technology. In February 2023, the regime opened a new Nuclear Technology Information Centre at Yangon University’s Hlaing Campus, where it signed its agreement on nuclear cooperation with Russian officials.

Russia to build ‘small’ nuclear reactor in Myanmar

The junta has been negotiating with Russia’s state-owned Rosatom atomic energy corporation to acquire nuclear technology for the past two years

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