Bangladesh Would Prioritize Russian Companies When Building Second NPP

Bangladesh, as an energy-deficient country, would like to build a second nuclear power plant (NPP) on its territory and would prioritize Russian companies when putting out an international tender on its construction, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen told Sputnik in an interview

BAKU (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th October, 2019) Bangladesh, as an energy-deficient country, would like to build a second nuclear power plant (NPP) on its territory and would prioritize Russian companies when putting out an international tender on its construction, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Kalam Abdul Momen told Sputnik in an interview.

"Of course, they will be number one," Momen stressed, when asked whether Russian business would be invited to participate.

He explained that Bangladesh is hungry for electric power and would like to drive down its cost by making more use of nuclear energy.

"We are open for peaceful use of nuclear power and we have started one [NPP] and would like to have more power because we are an energy-deficient country. And nuclear power is cheap. Therefore, with all the protection and guard for this sort of accidents, we would like to have a second nuclear power plant.

We have good relationships with Russia, and they provide very good arrangements given the nuclear waste, they will take it back. We will [have] international tender and whoever will be providing us better options will go for that," Momen said.

The construction of the first Bangladeshi NPP started in November 2017. The plant will have two units with nuclear reactors, each generating 1,200 MW and having a 60-year lifespan. The Russian design project, which has been used in the construction of Unit 1 of Novovoronezh NPP-2, is used in the consultation of the Rooppur NPP.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said last year that Bangladesh was likely to launch the construction of its second nuclear power plant within the next 10 years.