Russia is financing 90 p.c of $12.65bn undertaking to construct Bangladesh’s first nuclear energy plant in Rooppur.
Bangladesh has acquired the primary Russian cargo of uranium gas for its first nuclear energy plant, making it the thirty third nation on this planet to provide nuclear power.
The South Asian nation is constructing the primary of two nuclear energy crops in collaboration with Russian state-owned atomic firm Rosatom. Ninety p.c of the $12.65bn undertaking is financed via a Russian mortgage repayable inside 28 years with a 10-year grace interval.
“At the moment is a day of delight and pleasure for the folks of Bangladesh,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mentioned on Thursday throughout a video convention with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Russian Embassy in Bangladesh known as a “nuclear gas supply ceremony”.
Talking with Hasina by way of a video hyperlink, Putin thanked the Worldwide Atomic Power Company (IAEA) for supervising the undertaking, which resulted from a bilateral settlement in 2011.
IAEA head Rafael Grossi posted his congratulations on social media.
“Bangladesh stands as successful story for newcomer international locations in nuclear energy improvement, advancing its program underneath the [IAEA’s] steering,” he mentioned.
Congratulations to Bangladesh on the primary gas ceremony at Rooppur NPP, their inaugural nuclear facility. 🇧🇩 stands as successful story for newcomer international locations in nuclear energy improvement, advancing its program underneath @IAEAorg’s steering. pic.twitter.com/XhxpkipVgD
— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) October 5, 2023
Completion of the Rooppur plant – situated round 200km (124 miles) west of the capital Dhaka – has been revised a number of occasions because of development being delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the sanctions on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.
The primary unit of the plant, with a complete era capability of two,400 megawatts, was because of begin operation in July subsequent yr however that has been set again.
Final month, Sergei Lavrov, the primary Russian overseas minister to go to Bangladesh since its 1971 independence, assured Bangladesh that Moscow was dedicated to finishing the undertaking on time, regardless of obstacles from Western sanctions over the struggle in Ukraine.
Russia’s state information company TASS reported that the design and development of the nuclear energy crops is being carried out by the engineering division of Rosatom, and the plant could have a life cycle of 60 years with the potential for extending its operations by 20 extra years. Roughly 1,500 of the two,000 employees who will run the plant as soon as it’s operational might be educated in Russia.
Putin, Prime Minister of Bangladesh participating in ceremony to ship gas to Rooppur NPP:https://t.co/GpkJAciugQ pic.twitter.com/c86IjGDjz5
— TASS (@tassagency_en) October 5, 2023
Bangladesh has confronted its worst electrical energy disaster since 2013, in accordance with the Reuters information company, because of erratic climate and issue in paying for gas imports amid declining overseas forex reserves and a weakened nationwide forex.
Electrical energy era in Bangladesh is at present depending on imported fuel, which has risen sharply in value because the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
