Dhaka: Energy starved Bangladesh is set to ink a landmark deal with Russia tomorrow finalising arrangements to install the country’s first ever nuclear power plant to produce 2000 megawatt electricity at northwestern Rooppur.
"This is a landmark event for us . . . this will greatly help us to meet our energy demand and we need energy to build our desired Digital Bangladesh," state minister for science and information and communication technology Yafes Osman told Gulf News.
Osman added that the treaty he would sign with former Russian prime minister and director general of Russia’s state-run Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM Sergey Kirienko would be the final government to government deal.
Crucial
The deal came nearly two years after Dhaka signed a crucial framework agreement with Moscow on Russian cooperation for the country’s maiden nuclear plant at northwestern Rooppur by 2017-18 at a cost of $1.5 to 2 billion.
The two country’s prepared the groundwork earlier also inking a primary deal in February this year.
Officials familiar with the process said after the tomorrow’s agreement, ROSATOM and Bangladesh’s Atomic Energy Commission would need to workout the issues of costing and equipment procurement under two subsequent deals.
The two countries now finalised the technical details of the proposed deal along with the issues of future maintenance ahead of the final agreement as Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission prepared the action plan for executing the NPP to meet the growing demand for energy.
Design, construction
Officials said Dhaka-Moscow cooperation under the agreement would include ‘design, construction and operation of nuclear power and research reactors; nuclear fuel supply, taking back the spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste management.
"As per the agreement, the parties shall assure the transfer of materials, technologies, equipment and services for implementation of joint programmes in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," the framework agreement read.
International Atomic Energy Association allowed Bangladeshto install nuclear power plants in 2007 along with seven other developing nations while Russia,
Domestic funds
France, South Korea, Chinaand Pakistan expressed their interest to offer their assistance for developing the infrastructure.
Officials earlier said the major part of the cost to be provided through domestic funds and the rest of the amount to come from the builder or international donors as soft loan.
"We decided to engage the builder of the project on bilateral state to state basis instead of going for time consuming international bidding process," a senior science and ICT ministry official said.
A vision
The government recently formulated a vision plan as part of its desperate efforts to augment electricity amid growing demands while the poor power supply is estimated to cost around two per cent of GDP growth each year, according a study of the World Bank.
Only around 40 per cent of Bangladeshis currently have access to electricity while the country now witnesses a deficit of 1,000 to 1,500MW power with 41 public and private sector plants with de-rated capacity of 5,198 MW.
But dwindling reserves in existing gas fields, the main source for the country’s power generation, and expensive petroleum for electricity production prompted the experts and policymakers to explore solar and other renewable energy sources as the situation is also backed by a global campaign for clean energy.
