Nov 17 Reuters Sri Lanka will call for expressions of interest EOI in setting up nuclear power plants, its energy minister said on Friday, as it seeks cheap electricity to support its economic recovery.

The primary source of energy in the island nation is from imported oil and coal, and hydropower. The government aims to produce 70 of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and it sees nuclear power as a lowcarbon option for its energy mix. It aims to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The government intends to include the safe use of nuclear energy as a part of the longterm generation plans, Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said in a post on the X social media platform, after meeting officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Colombo.

The government will call for EOIs for establishing nuclear power plants modern technology, he said.

Media in July cited Wijesekera as saying that Sri Lanka was assessing nuclear power plant offers from Russia, United States, India and some European countries.

In 2010, the then energy secretary said Sri Lanka planned to build a onegigawatt nuclear power plant by 2030.

India is the only South Asian country to have a nuclear power plant, built with Russian collaboration, while Bangladesh and Pakistan are in the process of setting them up.

Russia39;s stateowned atomic company is building two nuclear power plants in Bangladesh while China and Pakistan signed a deal in June to build a 1,200megwatt plant in Punjab…