Russian news agencies have reported that an agreement has been reached between Russia and Myanmar to expand the capacity of a small nuclear reactor to be built in Myanmar from 110 megawatts to 330 megawatts. This nuclear reactor construction agreement was signed during military council leader Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Russia. The bilateral agreements include technical cooperation for nuclear reactor construction, operational regulations, and details of mutual cooperation between the two countries.
Alexei Likhachev, Director General of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, and Myanmar’s military council Minister of Science and Technology Myo Thein Kyaw signed the memorandum of understanding for nuclear reactor construction. They also signed a separate memorandum of understanding regarding nuclear safety and radiation protection measures. Russia is also implementing a wind power project in Myanmar that will produce 200 megawatts of electricity.
Military council leader Min Aung Hlaing is visiting Russia from March 3 to March 9. During this trip, both countries discussed economic, technological, and military cooperation, with the nuclear energy cooperation agreement emerging as a key agreement. The nuclear reactor construction project will become Myanmar’s first nuclear power generation project. The expansion of the reactor’s capacity from the initially planned 110 megawatts to 330 megawatts represents a significant scaling up of the project’s scope and potential impact on Myanmar’s energy infrastructure.
