Rooppur Nuclear Plant Expected to Add to Grid Next Month
Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is expected to begin supplying 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid next month, according to Russian Ambassador Alexander Grigoryevich Khozin.
In a Nutshell
- During a meeting with FBCCI Administrator Md Fazlul Hoque in Dhaka, Russian Ambassador Alexander Grigoryevich Khozin shared that Rooppur is expected to supply 300MW to the national grid from next month.
- He added that about 4,000 Russian experts and engineers are working on the project while ongoing technical issues at the plant are being addressed.
- Moreover, Russia and Bangladesh have agreed to establish a Russia-Bangladesh Business Council to expand trade and investment.
- Russia is planning to host a Russia-Bangladesh Business Forum in Moscow, with a formal announcement expected during the next Intergovernmental Commission meeting in Dhaka in November.
Context
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Bangladesh’s first nuclear power project and is being built with Russian cooperation to add a large amount of baseload electricity to the national grid once its units become operational. The latest update comes as thousands of Russian specialists are currently working there to address the technical issues, with the first 300MW now expected to reach the grid next month.
The meeting also went beyond the power plant as Bangladesh and Russia agreed to establish a business council, while a Russia-Bangladesh Business Forum is being planned in Moscow. Meanwhile, FBCCI also asked Russia to give greater attention to Bangladesh’s ready-made garment sector alongside other potential areas of trade.
Why It Matters
Getting the first 300MW onto the national grid would be an important milestone for Bangladesh as it may provide relief amid severe shortages of gas and other power-generation inputs and reduce the country's heavy dependence on imported fuels like LNG. However, as a long-term project involving significant financial, technical, and international commitments, Rooppur, if leveraged properly, is extremely crucial, at this point to securing a safe, reliable, and productive energy supply over its decades of operation.
What We Think
Nuclear power can provide stable, large-scale electricity, but it also involves serious safety and geopolitical risks. The project was initially estimated to cost about $12.65–$13.34 billion, or over BDT 1.13 trillion. However, because of exchange-rate changes and higher material prices, costs have increased to about Tk 1.39 trillion. As the plant begins regular operation, the most important factor still is, strict safety rules must be followed at all times, even with rising costs and economic pressure.