Dhaka, Nov 2 – Bangladesh and Russia have signed an agreement to set up a nuclear power plant at Rooppur under which Moscow will provide all assistance, including construction work, human resource development, and the development of the necessary legal framework.
Two plants with 1000 megawatt each will be constructed at Rooppur, said state minister for science and information and communication technology Yeafesh Osman at a press briefing at Novo theatre in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Before the press conference, Osman and Sergey V Kirienko, director general of State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) of Russia, signed the agreement at the prime minister's office.
The minister said all possible security and safety measures will be taken in building the nuclear plant keeping the Fukushima accident in mind.
"We want to start the construction in the tenure of the current government."
Foreign secretary Mohammed Mijarul Quayes said the government wants to reduce its dependency on fossil fuel and diversify its energy mix.
Security
Kirienko said it is a complex agreement as it includes supply of fuels, taking back spent fuel, human resources development, funding, assistance in the formulation of the legal framework, construction and many other aspects.
"Under a simple agreement only construction part is considered." He explained.
Commenting on the security features, he said, "It is obvious after the Fukushima accident, new safety measures are required.
"We will build the plant with a new design in which five new safety measures have been included."
Cost
Asked about the cost, Kirienko said that it would take some time to provide a cost. "We need to finalise technical issues and some paperwork to calculate the estimated costs," he added.
The official said that the Russian government would provide loans to build the plant and that a funding agreement will be signed later.
"State funding is important for such costly projects," Kirienko said, stressing that normally it takes 10 to 15 years to recover the cost of setting up a nuclear power plant.
Construction
It was disclosed that a nuclear power plant takes five years to construct. "Under the agreement, a design used in Russia will be replicated here," Kirienko said.
"We are building 29 plants in Russia and other countries and same design will be used here," he added.
Bangladeshi companies may also be involved in construction process, Kirienko said.
Fuel
Russia will provide fuel for the entire life of the power plant.
"Not only that it will take back the spent fuel to Russia under the agreement," the director general said.
The power extracted from one gram of uranium is equal to power derived from three tonnes of coal or 2.6 tonnes of fossil fuel.
Human Resources
The Russian government will provide all necessary training for the Bangladeshi officials. "From next year, advanced level training of Bangladeshi officials will begin," Kirienko said.
Background
Back in 2009, Bangladesh and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on May 13 and a framework agreement on May 21.
The cabinet approved the nuclear power plant cooperation agreement on Aug 1 this year, while on Oct 31 the cabinet also approved the security and legal framework development cooperation agreement.
FROM:
bdnews24.com
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