Bangladesh, Russia and India have signed a memorandum on trilateral cooperation in the implementation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) construction project.
Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom issued a statement after signing the memorandum in Moscow on Thursday.
Bangladesh’s Ministry of Science and Technology, Rosatom of Russia and the Department of Atomic Energy of India signed the Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of their respective countries, said Rosatom’s PR manager in South Asia Daria Savchenko.
On the Russian side, the memorandum was signed by Deputy Director General for international relations of the State Corporation Rosatom Nikolay Spassky and on the Bangladesh and India side – the Ambassador of Bangladesh in the Russian Federation S. M. Saiful Hoque and the Ambassador of India in the Russian Federation Pankaj Saran respectively.
The Russian side is building a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh on a ‘turnkey’ basis.
The general construction contractor is JSC Atomstroyexport, which is a part of the Engineering Division of Rosatom.
The scope of work includes design, production and supply of equipment, construction, installation, start-up and commissioning.
The memorandum set a framework for the interaction of the Russian contractor, Indian and Bangladeshi experts in the implementation of works related to the project.
The parties, in particular, will cooperate in the field of personnel training, exchange of experience and consulting support.
Indian companies can be involved in construction and installation works, the supply of materials and equipment of a non-critical category in the interests of the project, the statement said.
"Today was a landmark event for industry– and for our countries. We are confident that this is the first step toward the formation of a new, forward-looking cooperation agenda in the region, - said Nikolay Spassky, the deputy director general of Rosatom.
Rosatom is a global company and a world leader in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, he said.
“We are open to cooperation in the framework of our projects. The signing of the Memorandum is another illustration of our approach,” Spasskey added
Bangladesh initiated the construction phase of the country’s first nuclear power plant Thursday at Rooppur in northern Pabna district with the pouring of first concrete on the nuclear island on November 30.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction works of the 2,400-MW Rooppur project at the project site.
The plant will use two generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors.
The plant is being built under an agreement by which Russia will finance most part of the total cost of the plant. Russian contractors are already working on the project site.
The first unit of the plant is expected to go into operation in 2023 and the second in 2024.
