Done by Russia, Construction of Second Unit of Bangladesh NPP Begins

Jakarta, 13.08.2018 - Construction of the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (PLTN) in Ishwardi, Bangladesh, began with the first concrete work. The ceremonial event was carried out symbolically by pouring concrete on the basic foundation of the reactor unit to be built.

"Eight months ago, the first concrete ceremony for the construction of the first Rooppur nuclear power plant was carried out, and today we meet again to start the main construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant the second unit," said the First Deputy Director General for Rosatom State Corporation Operations Management Alexander Lokshin in a written statement , Wednesday (08/01/2018)

Rosatom is a Russian state-owned company engaged in atomic energy. The project undertaken is to unify assets in the field of nuclear energy, planning and building of nuclear power plants, and nuclear power engineering. Lokshin added that all work on the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant has so far been running on schedule.

He also expressed his gratitude for the cooperation between teams from Russia and Bangladesh that contributed to the construction of the nuclear power plant on time. Present at the ceremony were Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Industry Complex Affairs Yury Borisov. According to Lokshin, there are eight other nuclear power plants designed by Russia currently under construction in the Southeast Asia region.

Bangladesh produces around 59 TWh of electricity in gross in 2015. Electricity demand in the country continues to increase significantly – at 7 percent per year. About 20 percent of Bangladesh's 166 million people live without electricity to date and people who have received electricity often experience blackouts. This is different than in Indonesia, where in 2015, the country produced 234TWh of electricity locally. According to the World Nuclear Association, Indonesia must increase the capacity of its electricity generators for the next 10 years and expand until 2050 to meet the growing demand from the economy and population.