Laying of the first stone in Pabna attended by the Prime Minister Hasina and the director of Rosatom , the Russian company that will design and finance the project . The plant is expected to cover 10% of the country's energy needs, but environmentalists are concerned about possible accidents.

Moscow (AsiaNews ) - October 2 Bangladesh began construction of its first nuclear power plant in the district of Pabna.  It will be financed by Rosatom , the Russian state company that has a monopoly in the sector. The laying of the foundation stone took place in a ceremony attended by the Prime Minister , Sheikh Hasina , and Rosatom director general, Sergei Kirienko . The same day, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission signed with a subsidiary contract with Rosatom to develop the future plant .

The plant will be built in Rooppur on the eastern shore of the river Padma , 160 kilometers north- west of Dhaka on 105 hectares and is expected to become operational in 2020 , say the Russian partners. The plant will have two reactors , which will provide the Bengali electricity grid 2,000 megawatts of power .

"I think we are creating one of the great dreams of our country ,'' said Hasina , who announced that the new plant will cover 10% of the country's energy needs , ensuring compliance with the strictest safety standards which are laid down by the international Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA) . The government's objective is energy security for a country that suffers from constant blackouts, where only half of its 150 million inhabitants have access to electricity and that counts mostly on imported resources , such as natural gas . Bangladesh , however, is also an area subject to periodic natural disasters and this has raised the fears and criticism of environmentalists against nuclear power.

Dhaka has been working on this project for decades. Initially, it was in negotiations with China and South Korea to find technical and financial support , but in the end it was Russia gave the green light to the agreement. The deal was signed in January 2013 during Hasina's visit to Moscow. So, the prime minister signed an intergovernmental agreement with Vladimir Putin for a loan from the Russia to the tune of 500 million dollars, to finance the early stages of the construction.  During the visit another loan of about $ 1.5 billion was also discussed, as noted by The Moscow Times.

Russia inherited good relations with Bangladesh from the Soviet Union, which claimed its independence from Pakistan in 1971. Rosatom already has a history of success as an exporter of nuclear technology , with projects in China , India, Iran, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

The total cost of the central Roopuur is not clear, but it could could reach up to $ 10 billion , largely borne by the Russians. As stated by the nuclear.ru agency, Russia could finance the construction of the plant through intergovernmental loans on favorable terms , according to the same scheme used for the nuclear power plant in Belarus . Moscow will also provide uranium to fuel the reactors and discharge the waste fuel produced by the power plant.

Bloggers and media in Bangladesh , however, have raised concerns about the environmental impact of the project. According to some studies , the river Padma will not be able to provide enough water to cool the reactors , which could cause an accident. In addition, there are no specialists in the country capable of managing an advanced - but also potentially dangerous - facility.

However Russia has promised that Rosatom will build not only the power station but will also provide assistance and training to specialists in Bangladesh, as it usually does with all its collaborative projects abroad. ( N.A. )

(Sumon Corraya collaborated )

 

• russia
• bangladesh
• rostrom
• nuclear
• power
• plant
• energy
• enviornment