Page 8 - AsiaElec Week 11 2023
P. 8
AsiaElec NUCLEAR AsiaElec
Russian-backed Bangladeshi
NPP ahead of schedule
Loan repayments in wake of invasion of Ukraine proving hard to navigate
BANGLADESH THE first nuclear power plant to be built in will supply around 15% of Bangladeshi power
Bangladesh has seen the completion of stage one needs, according to government estimates.
of its outer containment building, with concrete However, just two weeks ago it emerged that
pouring at the site completed a full 45 days ahead paying back loans taken out to complete the
of schedule. plant is posing a problem for Dhaka.
The Rooppur 1 facility, 140 km to the west According to local sources, Russia is funding
of the nation’s capital, Dhaka, is the first of two 90% of the project, which is valued at around
units being constructed, with an operational tar- $12.65bn.
get date of 2024. Transfers from Dhaka to Moscow to cover
Initially projected to have taken 155 days to instalments to the tune of $110m, though, have
complete, Russian backer Rosatom’s announce- proved difficult to make, sources say. The blame
ment that the time saved was a result of “process for this issue is supposedly down to anti-Russian
improvements such as the use of double form- sanctions imposed as a result of the 2022 inva-
work panels and manufacturing of double-con- sion of Ukraine.
cave formwork panels prior to installation” has Rosatom has, it is understood, now put pres-
met with some scepticism, however. sure on the Bangladeshi government to resolve
A reported 1,383 cubic metres of concrete was the issue, but with a number of the largest Rus-
used in fitting the outer dome, according to local sian banks used by Rosatom and linked to the
media, which in turn aided in faster installation global SWIFT financial system now prevented
of inner steel fittings and systems intended to from receiving international transfers, none can
remove heat once operational; two aspects of the be made.
overall design amount to a combined 250 tonnes In turn, with Dhaka desperate for energy sup-
that require precise fitting, with absolutely no plies to power one of the most heavily populated
room for error. nations on earth, the agreement between Rosa-
“This operation allowed installation of the tom and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Com-
deflector ahead of schedule and opened the pos- mission now looks frail.
sibility for installation of heat exchangers, heat Initially agreed for $12.65bn when signed in
exchanging module casings and PHRS [passive late 2015, the installation of a pair of Russian
heat removal system] air ducts” the director of VVER-1200 reactors at least on a test run basis
the Rooppur nuclear power plant (NPP), Alexey by the end of this year is crucial if power is to be
Deriy, was quoted as saying. supplied to the Bangladeshi public some time in
Deriy heads a team of around 2,500 Russian 2024.
experts in Bangladesh as part of the installation Whether or not that will happen is an issue
process. few in Bangladeshi power circles are willing to
When complete, the 2.4-GW NPP at Rooppur make a call on.
P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 11 15 •March•2023
