The cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the Nuclear Power Plant Act 2015 and also a proposal for setting up the first nuclear power plant company in the country.
The company, Nuclear Power Company of Bangladesh, will operate the proposed nuclear power plant in Pabna’s Rooppur, and will be set up according to the act.
The proposal and the draft act got the nod at the weekly cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat and chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting the Rooppur nuclear plant project would be implemented with the financial and technical support of Russia to generate 1,000mW of electricity initially.
He said the project’s duration is from March 2013 to June 2017, and the plant would go into operation by 2021.
“The estimated cost of setting up the plant is Tk5,087.81 crore that includes project aid of Tk4,000 crore from the Russian government. The plant will operate for 60 years but its service life can be extended by another 20 years.”
The cabinet secretary said Russia would provide all the assistance needed for setting up the plant, including providing the fuel and also taking back the used fuel.
“Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission will own the plant while Nuclear Power Company of Bangladesh will run it.”
Musharraf also said the company would have an authorised capital of Tk1 crore divided into shares to be run by a board.
