‘Inauguration of 1st unit of Nuke Power Plant likely in September’
Staff Reporter :
First unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) will be inaugurated in September this year with fuel loading.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to participate in the opening ceremony virtually.
Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman said this during a press conference organised by the Bangladesh Council of Science and Industrial Research (BCSIR) to launch Bangladesh’s first smartphone-based application called ‘Sourjya Bidyut’ in the city on Saturday.
The whole nation has come under 100 per cent electricity facilities, he said adding that sometimes people sufferwhen the demand increases.
The government also suffers from power crisis, he added.
“This problem was caused by the global war situation and Bangladesh has overcome that problem a lot. I think according to Einstein’s theory, if we can give energy (electricity), people can change their lives,” Yeafesh Osman said.
Earlier, Nasrul Hamid, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, said that originally, RNPP was supposed to start commercial operation in December 2023. The plant may start electricity supply by the end of 2024, he had said.
The deadline for the Tk 3,440.1 crore project to construct the physical protection system (PPS) of the Rooppur nuclear power plant has been extended by one year and nine months by Planning Minister MA Mannan on December 6 last year.
According to the project plan, the first unit of the nuclear power plant will supply 1,200MW of electricity from 2023, and the same amount of electricity will be available from the second unit in 2024.
The project’s construction cost, including for training manpower, amounts to $12.65 billion, and 90% of it is being funded by Russia.
However, Yeafesh Osman, emphasised the government’s commitment to research and highlighted the goal of achieving 40% utilization of renewable energy by 2041 as per the pledge made by the Prime Minister at the COP26 conference.
Currently, solar power is being utilised in rural areas of the country, but consumers often face challenges, including fraudulent activities from commercial entities. The ‘Sourjya Bidyut’ app, developed by BCSIR’s own scientists, aims to address these issues and provide a convenient solution for consumers.
Users of the app will have the ability to perform maintenance tasks, including the installation of solar power technology, and also receive assistance for any post-installation problems.
