Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has been thinking for setting up another nuclear power plant in the southern region to meet the growing demand for electricity.
She said: "We are going to install another (nuclear) power plant after completion of the existing one. We will construct it in southern region. If we are able to build another nuclear power plant, we will no longer face power crisis."
The premier made the remark while opening the installation work of reactor pressure vessels inside the physical structure of unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
She joined the programme from her official Ganabhaban residence in the capital through video conferencing.
Witnessing the installation of reactor pressure vessels in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the PM said, "Today is a very important day for us. The day is not only important for Bangladesh but also for mine as well."
Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman presided over the programme while Russia's state-run atomic energy body Rosatom's Director General Alexey Likhachev spoke as the special guest from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project site.
Science and Technology Secretary Ziaul Hasan delivered the welcome address, while Project Director of the plant Dr Mohammad Shawkat Akbar got connected from the reactor pressure vessels building.
The Rooppur plant is expected to add 2,400MW of electricity to the national grid by 2024, helping the country meet its increasing demand.
The project is being implemented by the state-run Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) under the Science and Technology Ministry, with financial, technical and technological support given by Russia through its state nuclear agency, Rosatom. The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and Russian company, JSC Atomstroyexport, signed a general contract for construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) on December 25 in 2015.
A video presentation was screened on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at the function.
BDST: 1540 HRS, OCT 10, 2021
SMS
