Naypyidaw [Myanmar], Oct. 28 : Russia and Myanmar established a working body for nuclear technology cooperation this week, which is another step towards helping the latter develop its nuclear technology.
Though little is known about the bilateral taskforce, including who is involved or the number of members included, reports the Myanmar Times.
The two countries signed an MoU to cooperate in nuclear technology for peaceful purposes in June last year.
According to a Ministry of Education official, the working body is another step in developing nuclear technology with the help of Russia.
The Russian Government officials are presently in the capital to discuss further steps for the MoU, said U.
Khin Maung Latt, Director General of the Department of Technology Promotion and Coordination (DTPC) under the Ministry of Education.
According to a representative from Russian state-owned Rosatom Corporation, there is no plan currently to start a nuclear power plant (NPP).
Rosatom signed the MoU with the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2015 under U. Thein Sein's administration. "We are discussing cooperation of non-energy nuclear applications such as developing human resources, agriculture and health sectors with nuclear technology," said Egor Simonov, the regional vice-president for Southeast Asia of Rosatom.
"At the moment, we are not talking about NPP at all, but it is this government's decision. We present what we have and we can do. It depends on your country," he added. The MoU was the first official step for interaction between Russia and Myanmar in the area of nuclear technology, including research, radioisotopes production, nuclear medicine, radio-immunotherapy, nuclear safety, radiation risk assessment, and training scientists and administrators, Rosatom had said in a statement released last year.
Russia and Myanmar have had an inter-governmental agreement regarding nuclear technology and building a nuclear research centre since 2007.
Russia has trained more than 700 Myanmar students in nuclear and nuclear-related technologies in the past 10 years.
The Russian state firm is seeking potential investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian region, and is offering comprehensive nuclear technology and experience, said Rosatom officials.
The company is building two nuclear power units in Vietnam and has also won a tender for the preliminary design of a 10-megawatt reactor in Indonesia.
Rosatom has two operating nuclear reactors in India and China, with two more in each country under construction.
The Russian state-owned company has also won a project to construct a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.
Source: ANI
