Rosatom Director General Aleksey Lihachev said that the rapid economic and demographic growth of ASEAN countries is making nuclear energy increasingly important.
In his assessment during the Russia-ASEAN summit held in Kazan, Lihachev stated that the common characteristic of the region is high growth in industry, population, and energy consumption.
The summit dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Russia-ASEAN relations was held in Kazan on June 17-19, and the Russia-ASEAN Business Forum was also opened within the event.
Growing energy needs in ASEAN
According to Lihachev, the population of ASEAN countries will exceed 700 million in the coming years. Although this figure constitutes a small portion of the global population, the increase in electricity consumption is projected to reach up to 25 percent of the world total in the next 10 years.
The Rosatom executive emphasized that this picture creates a great need for strong and stable electricity sources. According to his assessment, atomic energy stands out as one of the solution options for ASEAN's growth challenges.
Environmental pressure also comes to the fore
Lihachev said that many cities in the region are affected by harmful emissions, and therefore the environmental dimension is also critically important. He stated that the shift toward nuclear energy is being evaluated not only in terms of production capacity but also in terms of combating air pollution.
Rosatom is seeing very lively demands for nuclear energy technologies from almost all ASEAN countries. Within this scope, the company is also offering power plant projects of various capacities, land-based and floating small plants, and non-energy products such as nuclear medicine, new materials, additive manufacturing, and digital technologies.
Russia's cooperation message
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously said that Russia and ASEAN have accumulated comprehensive cooperation and built a strong foundation for relations. Putin had stated that there are new opportunities in the fields of energy and food security as well as peaceful nuclear technology.
Putin also had expressed that Russia is trying to offer its partners a significant leap in nuclear energy, aiming to increase the efficiency of economies and the quality of life of people.
The Russian leader had also said that Russian-designed nuclear power plants are among the most demanded systems in the world, and that peaceful atomic technologies are seen as a basis for broad international cooperation.
