Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought Russian support and cooperation to set up another nuclear power plant in the country's southern region.
"We want to install another nuclear power plant in the country's southern region and continuous Russian support is needed in this regard," she said.
The premier said this while Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, ROSATOM's Director General Alexey Likhachev called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban in Dhaka on Monday.
Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the newsmen about the outcome of the meeting, reports BSS.
Bangladesh is setting up its first-ever nuclear power plant at Rooppur village of the Pabna district with the technical and financial support of Russia.
Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, ROSATOM is providing this support.
Laying utmost emphasis on the security issues, the premier urged the ROSATOM director-general to train up local people so they can run the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP).
Alexey Likhachev said that the cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia stepped into an atomic sphere and Bangladesh will become a country enriched with nuclear energy and power by 2023.
He said his country will train up Bangladeshi people to operate the RNPP, adding their cooperation to Bangladesh's power sector will continue.
He also praised the local workforce as over 20,000 persons including engineers, technicians, and others are working in the RNPP who are making a remarkable contribution.
Many Bangladeshi companies are also engaged in subcontracts, he said.
The ROSATOM director general appreciated the cooperation of the concerned ministries and Bangladesh Atomic Commission regarding the implementation of the RNPP, but "time of implementation may be adjusted".
Regarding the security issues, he said RNPP is their top priority and they are also working on the social development in the neighborhood areas of the plant.
He also presented the technical and security aspects of the RNPP before the Prime Minister.
Alexey Likhachev praised the prime minister highly for her support towards the implementation of the RNPP.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also fondly recalled the support of the then Russian Federation during the War of Liberation.
She also told the ROSATOM director-general that the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed Bangladesh's progress slightly, but now the country is overcoming the situation and moving ahead.
The ROSATOM official extended his gratitude to the health ministry as over 90 per cent of the Russian nationals working at RNPP have been vaccinated by them.
Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman, Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary Dr. Ahmad Kaikaus, and Secretary of Science and Technology Ministry Ziaul Hasan were also present.
Sheikh Hasina on Sunday remotely inaugurated the reactor pressure vessel installation work of the RNPP, which is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission with the technical and financial support of Russia.
With the installation of the reactor in the main unit of the nuclear power plant, the country's dream to generate nuclear energy is going to be materialized.
Rosatom's Director General Alexey Likhachev joined the installation work of the reactor pressure vessel as a special guest.
Installation of almost all types of nuclear equipment was completed by setting up reactor pressure vessels inside the physical structure of Unit-1.
As a result, the work inside the reactor building of this unit nears completion.
RNPP has accumulated the best Russian practice and dozens of years of experience and scientific thoughts and the unique combination of active and passive systems of the power units will ensure safe operation of the power plant and guarantee the planned level of electricity generation.
The RNPP in Pabna that consists of two units with a capacity of 1,200MW power each is the country's maiden power project of its kind.
