Part 2 of 3 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
     It is no surprise that any country considering starting a nuclear program and sourcing foreign technology will sooner or later seek out Rosatom for a bid.
     In 2009, the World Bank published a report outlining the significant energy challenges faced by Bangladesh’s fast-growing economy. The report identified “significant shortages of power generation capacity and natural gas”.
     Ijaz Hossain is the dean of engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. He said, “They thought that the fuel to run these plants would come automatically. However, now gas reserves are declining and the price of oil is rising. Bangladesh is finding it very difficult to get fuel.”
     Currently, Bangladesh’s energy sector is heavily dependent on fossil fuels such as coal and diesel. Hydro and other renewable energy sources made up less than one percent of total net electricity generation in 2020-21. This was reported by Bangladesh’s Power Development Board.
     Hossain said, “We are a small country in terms of land. Renewable energy uses a lot of land and we use most of our land for agriculture. Pursuing renewables aggressively may compromise food security.
      Michael Bradshaw is a professor of Global Energy at the Warwick Business School.  He said, “One can see why nuclear energy is an elegant solution to a set of challenges that a country like Bangladesh may face.”
     Bangladesh is heavily dependent on the export of garments. This industry has done little to contribute to the current climate of crisis but is seriously affected by it. Nuclear energy is seen to be a promising source of low-carbon electricity. However, the construction of foreign financed nuclear power reactors will do little to reduce Bangladesh’s dependence on foreign technology and financial resources to power its development. Bradshaw said, “If Russia is able to step in and provide this solution then so be it. But the question is going to be: how is Bangladesh going to pay it back?”
     On August 1St, the MV Kamilla, a Russian cargo ship, docked at the Mongla port in Bangladesh for the first time since the Russians invaded Ukraine. The ship was loaded with three thousand three hundred and twenty-eight tons of equipment intended for use in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Rooppur.
     The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (R-NPP) will be Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant. The first unit of the new plant is expected to go into operation in 2023. It is estimated that the plant will eventually provide as much as fifteen percent of the electricity consumed in Bangladesh.
     Construction of the R-NPP began in 2017 following the signing of a deal between Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and Russia’s state-owned nuclear power company, Rosatom, in December of 2015. The agreement stated that twelve billion six hundred and fifty million dollars would be invested to build two twelve-hundred-megawatt nuclear power reactors in Rooppur.
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