Rooppur NPP project delayed for Ukraine war

Staff Reporter :
The project work of the 2,400MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is likely to be delayed to some extent due to the Russia-Ukraine war and dollar crisis.
The government had set a target that the first unit of the nuclear power plant would supply 1,200MW power in 2023, but it might be delayed. The 2400 MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project with two units was undertaken in 2010.
Though the government is trying to complete the project work within the stipulated time, the ministries concerned hinted that project will not be delayed by too long.
Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told it while
 briefing reporters after a joint meeting held in the Power Division at Dhaka’s Bidyut Bhaban on Wednesday.
The meeting was convened to discuss the progress of the construction of a power transmission line from the nuclear power plant in Rooppur under Psaksey union in Pabna district.
Yeafesh Osman said that the government is trying to complete the construction work of RNPP project within the stipulated timeframe, but the work of the project has been delayed to some extent because of the Russia-Ukraine war and dollar crisis.
Without specifying any timeframe, the Science and Technology Minister said “We’re trying to get this done. Both the Science and Technology Ministry and the Power Division will work together in a coordinated manner to complete the project.”
Earlier, a target was set by the government to complete the construction of the first unit in 2022 and second unit in 2023.
But later the target was reset, and the first unit was to be completed by June 2024 and second unit by June 2025.
As per the project plan, the first unit of the nuclear power plant will supply 1,200MW power in 2023 while the same amount of electricity will be available from the second unit in 2024.
Nasrul Hamid said, “Project works are ongoing and it will not be delayed by too long.”
The first unit of the RNPP is expected to go into production by the end of next year, he said adding that the transmission lines have to be kept prepared at least six months in advance for various tests.
About the power transmission line, the State Minister said the project was also delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war.
“Now efforts are being made to expedite the project implementation”, he added.
He said the transmission line crossing the Padma river is a major work which may take another one and a half years to complete.
“We hope we can complete the transmission line before completion of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project,” Nasrul Hamid said.
According to sources, due to fund issues, authorities are yet to finalise a contractor for the river crossing transmission project, one of the five package projects to facilitate power distribution from the nuclear power plant.
The project has seen around 53 per cent financial progress and 55 per cent physical progress. However, the overall progress of the first unit is 70 per cent.
The Rooppur project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission with the technical and financial support of Russia.
The project’s construction cost, including manpower training, amounts to $12.65 billion, and 90 per cent of it is being funded by Russia.