ROSATOM Spearheads Expertise And Knowledge Transfer Within ASEAN Countries To Develop Nuclear Industry

The Russian Corporation ROSATOM demonstrated their support for nuclear development in Malaysia and the rest of the ASEAN countries at the 6th Nuclear Power Asia Conference (NPA) that took place from January 27 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur.

ROSATOM’s participation at NPA 2015 focused on engaging stakeholders and offering support for the ongoing nuclear energy development initiatives by government agencies such as Malaysian Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC) and Malaysia Nuclear Association (MNA). The first day of the conference saw experts discussing the development of nuclear energy within South-East Asia through a plenary session moderated by Nikolay Drozdov, Director of International Business, ROSATOM.

During the plenary session, Nikolay Drozdov shared that public acceptance has been one of the key challenges in the development of nuclear power not just in Asia but globally due to alleged safety concerns and the high cost required in developing and managing nuclear power plants. However, this can be attributed to lack of knowledge on the technicalities of nuclear related technologies and how it helps to improve quality of life.

“ROSATOM’s industrial participation plans are not just limited to Vietnam – there is a lot of potential to work with other countries in the region. Our cooperation with Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia was very well received by the government and local nuclear agencies. We had organized a number of NPP visits since 2012 and we will continue to share our expertise and knowledge on nuclear energy development as well as the benefits it offers”, Mr.  Drozdov said.

“We (ROSATOM) are keen to support Malaysia and ASEAN members in their nuclear development plans by offering an integrated solution that includes industrial and financial management, skills transfer, regulatory and infrastructure management and public acceptance education”, he added.

Another important session which that day took place at NPA had the title “Drawing experiences to explore suitable new nuclear ownership models for emerging countries”. Vladimir Chuchkin, Project Director at ROSATOM Overseas, basing on ROSATOM’s expertise reviewed the options for nuclear ownership models, which may be considered for Asian countries. “ROSATOM has vast experience in arranging flexible project financing options: from traditional EPC contract to more complex public-private partnership structures. For example, we are implementing Akkuyu NPP construction project in Turkey, which will be the world’s first build-own-operate (BOO) project in nuclear industry”, he explained.

ROSATOM has a regional headquarters in Singapore established in 2012. The company is looking to play a significant role in Malaysia’s nuclear energy development via partnerships with government agencies and key academic institutions as well as supporting the development of skills and nuclear technology through vocational training.

As the national nuclear corporation for the Russian Federation, ROSATOM brings together over 350 companies and R&D institutions that operate within the Russian nuclear power sector. Having developed advanced enrichment technologies, ROSATOM remains as the only company in the world that offers complete solutions from uranium supplies to NPP construction and operation as well as nuclear waste management.

Nuclear Power Asia serves as a platform for regulators, nuclear energy agencies and operators within the region to gather and discuss on the latest developments in the industry as well as to network with key players in the nuclear sector both from Asia Pacific and further afield.