Russia, Bangladesh and India yesterday signed a memorandum on cooperation in the implementation of the Rooppur nuclear power plant project. Construction of Bangladesh's first nuclear power reactor, Rooppur 1, officially began in late November 2017.

The signing of the memorandum (Image: Rosatom)

The memorandum is between Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, the Ministry of Science and Technology of Bangladesh and India's Department of Atomic Energy.

It was signed yesterday in Moscow by Rosatom's deputy director general for international relations Nikolay Spassky, Bangladesh's Ambassador in Russia S M Saiful Hoque and the Ambassador of India in Russia Pankaj Saran.

The document sets a framework for the interaction of the Russian contractor JSC Atomstroyexport, 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. Under the agreement, 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. 

"Today was a landmark event for both of our countries - and the industry as a whole," said Spassky. "We are confident that this is the first step toward the formation of a new, forward-looking cooperation agenda in the region."

Two 1200 MWe VVER units are to be built at Rooppur, which is on the eastern bank of the river Ganges, 160 km from Dhaka. The VVER-1200 reactor design has already been implemented at Novovoronezh II in Russia, where the first unit of that design - an evolutionary development from the VVER-1000 - entered commercial operation in February.

Rosatom in February 2011 signed an agreement for two 1000 MWe-class reactors to be built at Rooppur for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015. The Bangladesh Atomic Regulatory Authority issued the first site licence for the Rooppur plant in June 2016, allowing preliminary site works, including geological surveys, to begin. The regulator issued a design and construction licence to the BAEC last month, enabling the plant to move to the construction phase.

A ceremony was held on 30 November to mark the pouring of the first concrete for the basemat of Rooppur unit 1. First concrete is seen as the start of the main construction phase of a nuclear reactor. Unit 1 is scheduled to be commissioned in 2023, with commissioning of Rooppur 2 following in 2024.