The completion of Rooppur Nuclear Plant in Bangladesh may be slightly delayed, but the work is underway to make up the extra time, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen told Sputnik in an interview
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2019) The completion of Rooppur Nuclear Plant in Bangladesh may be slightly delayed, but the work is underway to make up the extra time, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A. K. Abdul Momen told Sputnik in an interview.The Rooppur power plant, which is being built with Russia's help, will be set up on the eastern bank of the Padma River about 100 miles from the country's capital of Dhaka. It will consist of two power generation units with Russian VVER-1200 reactors, each generating 1.2 GWs.� The first bloc is expected to be launched in 2023 followed by the second in 2024.
"We are thankful to Russia with regard [to] our first nuclear power plant. And it is in the process of completion. It will be completed by 2023 and 2024 ... There is a possibility of a little delay but we understand they are trying to recover the delay," the minister said.
Momen added that Bangladeshi economy was developing fast and the country's need for energy was growing fast as well.
"We need more energy,� not only nuclear power. We need nuclear power, we need solar power, we need oil and gas power, we need also hydraulic power," the minister stressed.
Bangladesh has an agreement with India and is also working with Bhutan and Nepal, Momen said.
"We will be investing in those countries to have more hydraulic power ... We need more nuclear energy," the minister said.
According to Momen, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would like to build another nuclear plant, but nothing had been decided on it yet.
"As Russian friends apparently are doing good job ... naturally we have always a transparent bidding process so if they succeed in the bidding process, when we will design it, of course, we will invite them to do it," the minister said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Yuri Borisov said last year that Russia might take part in building a new nuclear power plant in the south of Bangladesh.� Bangladeshi Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman told Sputnik in July that Russia's experience with Rooppur would give it an advantage as a possible partner for future projects.
Hasina said last year that Bangladesh was likely to launch the construction of its second nuclear power plant within the next 10 years.
