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Russia's Rosatom says will proceed with Myanmar nuclear plant despite quake

22 April 2025 13:45 (UTC +04:00)

A plan to build a nuclear power plant will continue in Myanmar, a war-torn Southeast Asian country partly devastated by a massive earthquake in March, the Russian state-owned firm leading the project told Reuters, APA reports.

Myanmar's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month signed an agreement for a small-scale nuclear facility, three weeks before the 7.7 magnitude quake flattened communities and left more than 3,700 people dead - the country's deadliest natural disaster in decades.

The agreement involves cooperation to build a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in Myanmar with an initial 110 MW capacity, consisting of two 55 MW reactors manufactured by Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

"The recent earthquake has not affected Rosatom's plans in Myanmar," the company's press office said in an email.

"Rosatom adheres to the highest international safety and reliability standards, including strict seismic resistance requirements."

Rosatom declined to provide any construction timeline or details of the location of the proposed nuclear facility that will be powered by RITM-200N reactors, which were made by the company for use initially on icebreaker ships.

Myanmar is currently evaluating options for financing the Russia-backed nuclear power project. "This may involve both own and borrowed funds," Rosatom said. In places such as Bangladesh and Egypt, Russia has funded conventional nuclear power projects through low interest loans.

Authorities in neighbouring Thailand, which is closely monitoring Myanmar's nuclear developments, assess that a plant could be built in Naypyitaw, a fortified purpose-built capital that was heavily damaged by the earthquake, according to a security source briefed on the matter.

Two other potential sites include a location in the central Bago region and the Dawei special economic zone in southern Myanmar, where the junta and Russia have announced plans to build a port and an oil refinery, according to the Thai assessment.

Myanmar lies on the boundary between two tectonic plates and is one of the world's most seismically active countries.