The government has taken up an “Energy Master Plan” for generation of 20,000 Megawatt of electricity in the country by 2021, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the parliament on Wednesday.
During a question-answer session, she said the government signed a $500 million dollar state credit agreement with the Russian Federation on January 15 last for setting up a two-unit nuclear power plant at Rooppur with a capacity to generate 1,000 mw of electricity as part of the master plan. In a scathing criticism against BNP chief Khaleda Zia for ignoring various achievements of the ruling Awami League government, Sheikh Hasina said: “The opposition leader does not see anything. We have significantly increased electricity generation while the national budget has increased three times.”
The prime minister said that on the same day of January 15 last a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had also been signed with the Russian Federation for providing finance for main construction work on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project as the technology-supplying country.
In reply to a question from Shamsur Rahman Sharif (Pabna-4), Sheikh Hasina said that the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved initial construction work on Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (first phase) at a cost of Tk 5,087 crore on April 2, 2013.
The prime minister further informed the House that the second agreement on Rooppur Nuclear Power Project would be hopefully signed between Bangladesh and Russia next month and the inaugural day of the project under the new agreement has been scheduled for October 2.
She said that the survey work on the nuclear power project under the first agreement between the two countries has already begun and engineering survey, reactor drawing and design work would start under the second agreement.
Sheikh Hasina said the activities of Atomstroyexport of the Russian Federation would be conducted under three agreements for the Rooppur project. She said necessary steps have already been taken to sign a general contract with the Russian Federation for financing and starting the main construction work on the project toward the beginning of the next year.
The prime minister said that a Generation-III Atomic Reactor would be installed at Rooppur in accordance with the agreements with the Russian Federation after meticulously determining all safety parameters of the project site and using the most appropriate technology for it to operate normally even in the face of natural disasters of any magnitude.
Sheikh Hasina assured the parliament that the risk of the proposed Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant site being affected by natural disasters including earthquake and tsunami is very minimal because of its geographical location and other geotechnical features.
The prime minister said that the Russian Federation would supply necessary fuel for the reactor on a long-term basis and also take back all used fuel. Besides, she said the government would strictly control the technology transfer, construction of atomic reactor and its operation following national guidelines as well as the safety standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
-With The Independent input
