The government is going to undertake the first phase for setting up Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant with a view to accomplish the indispensable preparatory construction works at Rooppur in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district.
A project, titled ‘Construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (1st phase)’ involving Tk 5,241.67 crore will be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting on Tuesday for its consideration.
The ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, will preside over the meeting to be held at the NEC conference room in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Planning Commission officials said Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission under the Ministry of Science and Technology will implement the proposed project by June 2017 at a cost of Tk 5,241.67 crore of which Tk 1,241.67 crore will be financed by the government. The remaining Tk 4,000 crore will come from a Russian State Credit.
The main objectives of the project is to determine the related site design parameter and techno-economic solution, completing the necessary design and documentation as well as the necessary preparatory construction works for setting up the power plant, signing necessary financial and construction related agreements with Russia for the main construction, grooming skilled human resource through imparting training on nuclear technology and making physical and infrastructural development in the project site, site office and residential areas.
Earlier, during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Russia early this year, Bangladesh signed a deal on January 14 with Russia on extension of state export credit for financing the preparatory stage work of a nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna.
The deal was signed in presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Under the agreement with the Russian Atomic Energy Commission, Rosatom, the Russian government will extend all out cooperation to build the nuclear power plant.
Russia will supply fuel to the plant and take away used fuel and also train the plant’s workers.
In November 2011, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding and framework agreement in presence of Hasina.
Under the plan, two units of the Rooppur nuclear power plant will produce 2,000 MW of electricity annually. The tenure of the plant will be 60 years and it will be extended by another 20 years.
The plan for setting up the country’s first ever nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district was initiated in 1961.
Meanwhile, the other projects likely to be considered at the Tuesday’s ECNEC meeting are establishment of 11 secondary schools and 6 colleges in the Dhaka Metropolis (Tk 231 crore); enhancing the learning environment of selected madrasas in Bangladesh (Tk 101 crore); extension, renovation and modernization of Bangabandhu Poverty Alleviation Training Complex (Tk 227 crore); construction of Shahjibazar 300 MW combined cycle power plant (Tk 2,844 crore); and construction of undeveloped roads, drains, retaining walls and culverts in Sylhet City Corporation (Tk 153 crore).
Source: UNB Connect
