Bangladesh on Thursday entered the nuclear world as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the main construction work on the much-awaited Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the maiden nuclear plant of the country.

She formally launched the main construction work on the plant by pouring concretes at the plant site at Rooppur in Iswardi, north off Pabna, in the morning, reports the UNB.

Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman, PM’s Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Moshiur Rahman, Energy Adviser Dr Towfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Security Adviser Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq, Chief of Army Staff General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq, PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim, Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Ignatov, Russia’s state-run atomic energy body Rosatom’s Director General Alexey Likhachev, Chief Engineer of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission Md Abdur Razzak and project director of the plant and senior officials of Bangladesh and Russia were present on the occasion.

The Rooppur plant is expected to add 2,400MW of electricity to the national grid by 2024, helping the country meet the increasing demand for electricity.

The mega project is being implemented by state-run Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) under the Science and Technology Ministry, with financial, technical and technological supports given by Russia through its state nuclear agency, Rosatom.

The BAEC and Russian company JSC Atomstroyexport signed a general contract for construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on December 25, 2015.

BAEC Chairman Md Monirul Islam and Vice President of Atomstroyexport Vladimir N Savuskhin signed the contract on behalf of their respective organisations.

Atomostroyexport, the contractor appointed by Russia’s state-owned atomic power body Rosatom, will construct the NPP at a cost of $12.65 billion, out of which, $10.1 billion has been fixed as base price, $1 billion for soil stabilisation and further cost, and the remaining $1.65 billion for price escalation.

On December 15, 2015, the government finalised the amount for the biggest-ever investment project in the country’s history by inking an initial agreement with Russia.

Earlier in January 2013, an inter-governmental agreement was signed for the provision of a $500 million Russian loan to finance engineering design, site development and personnel training.

On November 2, 2011, Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia’s state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom to construct the nuclear plant.

Russia will provide all assistance under the agreement for setting up the plant, including providing the fuel and taking back the used fuel.

A total of 262 acres of land have been acquired to set up two units of the plant with a capacity of 2,400-MW.

On October 2, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at Iswardi.