After being unable to spend all of its allocated Tk1,028.92 crore funds from the ADP, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is planning to return Tk434 crore to the government.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has sent a letter to the Planning Commission in this regard, sources said.
However, Planning Commission sources said that the ministry has created a bit of a trouble for them right before the finalisation of the draft for the revised Annual Development Plan (ADP).
They said the final decision in this regard would be taken by the National Economic Council (NEC).
If the funds are returned, the Rooppur project’s allocation from the 2015-16 fiscal year’s ADP would be reduced to Tk594.92 crore.
Sources said a total Tk5,087 crore was allocated for finishing the first phase of Rooppur plant; of this amount Russia pledged to provide Tk4,000 crore and Tk1,087 crore was being allocated from the Bangladesh government exchequer.
For the fast implementation of the project, Tk1,028.92 crore was allocated from the ADP, out of which Tk544.92 crore was from government’s own fund and Tk484 crore from foreign aid.
But in the third quarter of the fiscal year, the Ministry of Science and Technology said they cannot fully spend their allocated money and Tk434 crore would not be utilised. So it wanted to return the money and officially notified the Planning Commission.
Out of the returned money, Tk274 is from government fund and Tk160 crore from foreign aid.
Md Shawkot Akbar, project director of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, said most of the planned work during the first phase has been completed. “In some cases, we are ahead of the time,” he added.
Akbar, however, said all of the allocated money could not be spent as some work had been shifted to the next year. So, the spare money would be spent in the following year.
On December 25 last year, Bangladesh and Russia signed a general contract for the construction and commissioning of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna for a cost of $12.65 billion.
Of the two-unit power plant with 1,200MW capacity each, the first unit is expected to begin operating by 2021 and the second unit by 2022.
The Rooppur nuclear power plant will be constructed using two VVER-1200 nuclear reactors that have a 60-year lifespan.