Part 3 of 3 Parts (Please read Parts 1 and 2 first)
      The terms of the agreement between Bangladesh and Russia include the promise that Rosatom will supply equipment, expendable materials, and training to maintenance crews throughout operation of the plant.
     Construction continued even in the aftermath of the Russian invasion on February 24 because Rosatom escaped the international sanctions against Russia triggered by the Ukrainian invasion.
    Russia will support the R-NPP project by providing up to ninety percent of the total cost through a credit arrangement. Bangladesh will have to pay off the Russian loan with an interest rate of Libor plus one and three quarters in twenty-eight years. The Rooppur power plant is one of many emerging Russian-funded nuclear power projects being carried out in the developing world. There is concern that some of these countries may have problems paying off the Russian loans.
     In September 2022, Rosatom signed a nine-billion dollar loan to Turkey to fund the construction of a nuclear power plant in the country. During negotiations, Turkey insisted on a spent-fuel take back provision which meant that Russia had to remove spent nuclear fuel from Turkey. On September 17th, Turkey and Russia resolved disputes involving the removal of spent nuclear fuel. Construction of the twenty-billion-dollar power plant in Turkey has resumed. The plant will be built, owned and operated by a Rosatom subsidiary.
     In February of 2020, Russia awarded Egypt a twenty-five-billion-dollar loan to construct the Dabaa nuclear power plant, a project spearheaded by Atomstroyexport. In July of this year, Rosatom started work on Egypt’s nuclear power plant. They will construct four 1 gigawatt pressurized water reactors at Daaba.  Together they will generate about five gigawatts of electricity to Egypt. The reactors will be owned by the Nuclear Power Plants Authority (NPPA).
     Chris Dent is a professor of international political economy at Edge Hill University. He said, “It’s one thing to get a country to build a nuclear power station for you and it’s quite another thing to maintain it.”
     According to the Columbia University report, nuclear power plants such as those constructed in Bangladesh, Eqypt and Turkey require routine maintenance for their licensed lifespan in order to remain operational. These new nuclear power plants will be reliant upon Russia for upkeep and capital.
     This dependency also has geopolitical implications for developing countries. Russia has shown again and again that it is willing to utilize energy sources as weapons against countries which criticize Russian policies and international actions. Hossain said, “The reliance on Russian technology and running [the power plant] does put Bangladesh in a defensive position,” comments Hossain. “Right now, Bangladesh is so dependent on Russia to finish the plant that they can’t take an independent stance on the Russia-Ukraine war.”
     Antony Froggat is an energy consultant at Chatham House. He said, “When the US was trying to woo India politically, it gave it nuclear power. These are big projects worth tens of billions of pounds, and they happen for a combination of reasons including status and big capital gains.”