The government has commenced negotiations with Russia to build a nuclear power plant to meet growing electricity demand in the country, the Ministry of Power and Energy stated.

Russia is ready to supply fuel for nuclear power plants and take back radioactive waste ash for disposal, the Ministry further said.

A pre-feasibility study that has already begun will take about six months after which a feasibility study will be done to decide from which country Sri Lanka is to get assistance and where to build the power plant.

Sri Lanka is considering nuclear power as an option in the long-term power generation plan for 2025. The aim of Sri Lanka is to diversify the sources of energy for generation requirements, and use nuclear power only if other sources are not viable, said Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, addressing the 54th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria recently.

The electricity demand in the country has grown by eight percent in the past six months and will double at the current rate by 2018. There is no danger of power cuts at the moment but the country need to prepare to ensure there are no power cuts after 2020, the Minister said.

Nuclear power is more cost-effective in the long term against conventional sources like coal as well as non-conventional renewable sources such as hydro, solar and wind.