The construction of first concrete boring for the first unit of the country's maiden nuclear power plant at Rooppur in northern Pabna district was completed recently.
The main structure of the nuclear power plant would be constructed over the concrete boring, project director of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) Mohammad Shawkat Akbar said.
Concrete pouring for the second unit of the 2,400 megawatt (MW) Rooppur NPP project will be initiated by June, he expected.
Bangladesh initiated the construction phase of the country's first nuclear power plant on November 30, 2017 at Rooppur with the pouring of first concrete on the nuclear island.
Russian state nuclear company Rosatom is building the plant on a turnkey basis.
It is responsible for all engineering, design, construction, procurement and commissioning. The general construction contractor is JSC Atomstroyexport, a part of the engineering division of Rosatom.
The plant will use two Russian Generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactors. It is being built under an agreement by which Russia will finance most of the total cost of the plant. The first unit of the plant is expected to begin operation in 2023 and the second one in 2024.
Separately, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) will appoint India's Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) to act as a consultant for the construction and operation of the plant.
The Rooppur project has a total cost of around Taka 1.13 trillion ($12.65 billion), with Russian financing worth $11.38 billion being provided to Bangladesh for the project. The Russian Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs and Bangladesh's state-owned Sonali Bank Ltd. will work as authorized banks for the state loan.
The Bangladesh government will provide Taka 220.52 billion of its own funding for the project. India will also provide around $1 billion as a loan to facilitate construction of necessary plant infrastructure.
Most of the Indian loan will be spent on infrastructure development after construction of an electricity transmission line to connect the nuclear power plant with the Bangladeshi national grid after the plant starts operation.
Russia, Bangladesh and India also signed a memorandum on trilateral cooperation for the implementation of the Rooppur NPP construction project.
Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation -- Rosatom --, Bangladesh's Ministry of Science and Technology and the Department of Atomic Energy of India signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the implementation of the Rooppur NPP construction project.
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.
A total of 262 acres of land have been acquired to set up two units of the plant with a capacity of 2,400-MW.
Azizjst@yahoo.com