Li NPP: Russia and Laos have started working on a peaceful atom agreement
Russia and Laos have started working on an intergovernmental agreement on a peaceful atom, Russian Ambassador to Vientiane Sergey Hard told Izvestia. During his visit to the republic, Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu assured that Moscow is committed to expanding cooperation with Vientiane in a number of areas, in particular in the development of peaceful atom programs and the construction of nuclear energy facilities. Russia is now generally expanding nuclear cooperation with the countries of Southeast Asia, experts tell Izvestia. The difficulties Moscow faces in implementing projects in Laos, and how promising cooperation with other countries in the region is, are described in the Izvestia article.
Cooperation between Russia and Laos in the field of peaceful atom
The Russian Federation and Laos are preparing an agreement on cooperation in the field of peaceful atom, Russian Ambassador Sergey Hard told Izvestia.
— We are working on a draft intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the field of peaceful atom, it is under negotiation. We have a roadmap, and we are optimistic," the diplomat said.
During his visit to Laos, Sergei Shoigu assured that Moscow is committed to expanding cooperation with Vientiane. "These are the development of programs on peaceful atom, on the construction of nuclear energy facilities, education and training, further development of economic relations, issues of military and military-technical cooperation," he stressed.
Earlier, Alexey Likhachev, the head of Rosatom, said that Laos is interested in small nuclear power plants and non—energy applications such as nuclear medicine, cancer control, and agricultural work. "Of course, we are happy to offer our expertise," he said.
According to the head of the state corporation, the dialogue on this issue began back in 2016, but later, due to the pandemic and the international situation, it slowed down.
Contacts have really intensified recently: in 2025, during the visit to Russia of Lao President Thonglong Sisulita Likhachev and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Thongsavan Phomvihan signed a roadmap on cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of atomic energy for 2025-2026.
In general, the parties have prospects for increasing cooperation in the energy sector, Vladimir Putin stressed after talks with the Lao leader. "The agreements concluded following the negotiations in the field of peaceful atom create the basis for providing the Lao economy with cheap and environmentally friendly energy. Our Laotian friends are also interested in non—energy applications of nuclear technology: in medicine, agriculture, and personnel training," he said.
The Russian President also drew attention to the fact that with the participation of Soviet specialists, large industrial enterprises, important transport infrastructure facilities, hospitals and educational institutions were built in Laos. Many of them are still functioning today.
Russian companies are also involved in the development of ferrous and precious metal deposits in Laos. The possibilities of cooperation in the development of bauxite deposits are being explored.
Cooperation with Laos in the nuclear field allows Rosatom to expand opportunities for technology exports to other countries and strengthen its international position. Laos will have access to clean energy, which is necessary for the development of the national economy.
Russia has every chance of building a nuclear power plant in the republic, Kirill Kotkov, head of the Center for the Study of the Far East in St. Petersburg, tells Izvestia. Laos is a very promising destination in this regard, and one of the advantages of the country is the presence of many mountain rivers.
— As for the atom, the question is whether Laos will be able to pay for it. In general, Upper and Northern Laos is a seismic zone. This should also be kept in mind," he emphasizes.
How Russia is expanding nuclear cooperation in Southeast Asian countries
Russia as a whole is currently expanding nuclear cooperation in Southeast Asian countries. For example, in September, Rosatom signed a roadmap with Myanmar for cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy for 2025-2026.
Floating nuclear power plants are one of the areas of cooperation. In particular, it became known earlier that the Russian Federation and Malaysia are preparing an intergovernmental agreement on the supply of such nuclear power plants.
The Russian Federation is one of the world leaders in the operation of floating nuclear power plants. Rosatom has created the world's first such station, Akademik Lomonosov. It has been in operation since May 2020. Floating power units are being built at shipyards and can be transported by water to any place in the world where there is a coastline.
The advantages of such stations are mobility, relatively low power, and adaptability to local needs and environmental safety. But at the same time, such stations can provide energy to a city with a population of up to 100 thousand people or several industrial facilities.
A similar issue of a floating nuclear power plant has already been discussed with Indonesia. In addition, Russia is now one of the main contenders for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the republic. In particular, Rosatom proposes to build a small floating nuclear power plant at the first stage, and a high—capacity plant at the second stage.
Russia and Thailand are also discussing the possibility of using Russian technologies to build the country's first small nuclear power plant. Rosatom is now closely monitoring the country's plans and announcements in the field of nuclear energy. In Thailand's energy strategy, the commissioning of the first small nuclear power plant is scheduled for 2037, but it may take place earlier, said Vadim Titov, CEO of Rosatom International Network.
It is worth recalling Vietnam — earlier, the Russian state corporation signed an interdepartmental roadmap for the development of nuclear technologies with the country for the period up to 2030.
On December 11, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin and Alexei Likhachev discussed cooperation in the development of the republic's nuclear industry over the phone. In particular, the Prime minister asked the corporation to continue to support it in the construction and development of nuclear research centers, personnel training and improvement of public administration in this area.
In general, nuclear energy is indeed one of those areas in which Russia has achieved great success, Elena Nikulina, a researcher at the Center for Vietnam and ASEAN Studies at the ICSA RAS, tells Izvestia.
— Such large-scale projects, which currently do not exist in our cooperation, will definitely be able to advance this interaction. The construction of a nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan should be exactly the kind of project that would involve many Russian firms and specialists, the expert believes.
In addition, the development of nuclear projects will further inspire other countries in the region to cooperate with Russia. Many Southeast Asian states are interested in nuclear power plants, Kirill Kotkov says.
— We have good relations with all these countries, and rapidly developing countries are experiencing a shortage of electricity, because the more industry develops, the more energy needs there are. But there is also a problem here: in some states there are not enough rivers or they are low—water, and hydroelectric power plants are needed there," the expert says.
Construction may also be limited due to the seismic activity of some areas in the region, as in Laos, the expert concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
