N-POWER TEAM TO VISIT RUSSIA IN OCT: OFFICIAL
Maruf Mallick

Bangladesh News 24 hours
Mon, Aug 10th, 2009 11:06 pm BdST

Dhaka, August 10 (bdnews24.com)-A government delegation is awaiting the
final nod from the prime minister’s office to visit a Russian nuclear
power plant, an official of the science ministry told bdnews24.com
on Monday.

"Russia has invited a Bangladeshi delegation to visit their nuclear
power plants," said the official, who asked not to be named but was
closely involved with the negotiations.

A nine-member delegation is slated to visit in October, he said.

He said a proposal had been sent to the prime minister for approval
regarding the visit, which is likely to be headed by state minister
for science and ICT Yafes Osman.

Bangladesh and Russian signed memorandum of understanding (MoU)
in Dhaka in May this year, on the peaceful use of nuclear power,
which was seen as a first-step towards construction of a Bangladeshi
nuclear power plant.

Chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Mosharaf
Hossain, and deputy-director general of the Russian State Atomic
Energy Corporation (Rosatom), NN Spasskiy, signed the deal.

The MOU covers the design, licensing, construction, operation and
maintenance of nuclear power and research reactors.

It also provided guidelines for joint initiatives in exploration and
extraction of uranium deposits and radiation waste management.

Russia had not specified any financial terms as yet, but they are
interested in providing loans rather than grants, which are likely
be on favourable terms, said the ministry official.

"The Economic Relation Division will settle the financial terms and
conditions once the MoU is signed," he said.

Bangladesh also has similar MoUs with the USA and China.

Bangladesh’s one and only initiative to install a nuclear power plant
in Rooppur, Pabna, has remained stalled since 1961.

Russia built 10 nuclear power plants last year, and in total has
constructed 65 plants in Iran, India, China, Armenia, Ukraine, Hungary,
Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Bulgaria and Germany.

Russia is currently constructing 11 power plants overseas.

Currently, 439 nuclear power plants around the globe are generating
16 percent of the world’s electricity.

China and South Korea have also approached Bangladesh to set up
nuclear power plants.