Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has met with Russian state atomic energy corporation Rosatom’s Director General Alexey Likhachev during the latter’s recent visit to the South Asian nation, when a package of documents was also signed to expand Bangladesh-Russia cooperation in nuclear energy.
According to a Rosatom statement, Likhachev also visited the construction site of Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant (NPP) at Rooppur.
“The construction has gained considerable pace. It is gratifying to see that our specialists have the opportunity to live fully, engage in leisure activities and receive medical care at a specially constructed district,” Likhachev said after visiting the Rooppur site.
During the visit of the Russian delegation, the parties signed a protocol to amend the intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Bangladesh on the NPP construction.
The protocol establishes the right of the Bangladeshi party to engage the Russian company on a long-term basis to help in the operation, maintenance and repair of Rooppur NPP 1 and 2 power units, as well as to supply the equipment, expendable materials, spare parts and to provide training for maintenance crews. This will enable Rosatom to carry out maintenance, operational support and repair of the Rooppur NPP throughout its entire life cycle as part of assisting the Bangladeshi side in the operation of the Rooppur NPP.
In addition, a protocol was signed for the supply of nuclear fuel for the Rooppur NPP between Rosatom subsidiary TVEL JSC and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The contract is valid until the end of the operational lifetime of both power units of the Rooppur NPP.
The power station will be the first nuclear power plant abroad constructed under Rosatom’s Generation III plus project (NPP-2006), and will be switched to an eighteen-month fuel cycle.
