A contract has been signed between two Russian companies for manufacturing and supplying the hi-tech equipment to handle the liquid radioactive waste at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project. According to Rosatom, the Russian contractor of the RNPP, Atomstroyexport as the General Contractor has entered into a contract with Russian company Sverdniikhimmash (SCERI JSC) for this purpose. Under the contract, SCERI will design, manufacture and supply three drain water treatment plants, three deep evaporation plants, two cementation plants, two conditioning plants, two intermediary storage plants, WIR (waste ion resins) loading and unloading units, the container for WIR transportation. Read: Inner containment dome installed at Unit-2 of Rooppur N-power plant The equipment will be supplied to the Rooppur NPP site by the third quarter of 2023. The SCERI experts will also support pre-commissioning works of the equipment. “We know SCERI as a safe partner that develops high-quality equipment", said Aleksey Deriy, Vice-President of ASE and Director of the Rooppur NPP Construction Project. At present, the construction of Rooppur NPP is at its active stage- buildings are erected and the installation of the main equipment in two power units is performed. For sure, this contract will facilitate fulfillment of our obligations to the Customer of Rooppur NPP – manufacture and installation of the equipment will be done exactly in time,” he added. “It is a large-scale and very critical order for SCERI and choosing our institute as a designer and supplier of the process equipment for liquid radioactive waste handling is absolutely justified,” said Aleksandr Cheperanov, Director General of SCERI. For many years, SCERI has been specializing in designing and manufacturing of efficient and safe equipment for nuclear waste handling, he mentioned adding, "Equipment, designed by our engineers is functioning in many Russian nuclear power plants with excellence" The SCERI is a concern of Atomenergomash, the machine-building division of Rosatom. In 2019 SCERI signed a contract for designing, manufacturing, and supply of a package of equipment for handling materials and components not subject to subsequent use, for unit- 1 of Rooppur NPP. Read:Rooppur NPP: Installation of outer containment dome at unit-1 in October The first lot of process equipment is now being prepared for shipment to Bangladesh. According to Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, the implementation authority of the RNPP, the first unit of the plant was scheduled to start operation in 2022 and second unit in 2024. But recently the first unit's operation was rescheduled to 2024 and the second unit to 2025.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has the global economies worried, also prompting a question as to whether President Vladimir Putin's attempt to write history will hit hard the post-Covid growth recovery trajectory in some countries. However, energy experts and economists in Bangladesh believe that there won't be any immediate impact of the invasion on this country's economy -- particularly in sectors like power, imports and exports -- though a long-term impact is imminent. “I don't see any immediate impact on our energy sector although Russia is building our first nuclear power plant in Rooppur and involved in gas well drilling," eminent energy expert Dr M Tamim told UNB. The Bangladesh government has hired Russian nuclear energy firm Rosatom for building the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) at a cost of $12.65 billion. However, Russia is supposed to provide a costly state loan to cover 90% of the project cost.   Besides, officials said, Rosatom has been paid $550 million for a feasibility study and the project design. Read: Petrobangla close to appointing a foreign firm to revamp Model PSC for off-shore gas exploration According to official sources, the power plant will have two units each having 1,200 MW production capacity. Of these, the first unit is nearing completion and expected to start commercial operations in 2023 while the second unit will be ready in 2024. Similarly, another Russian state agency is engaged in the country’s gas sector. In May last year, the Russian majority state-owned multinational energy corporation -- Gazprom -- obtained a contract for drilling three wells on Bhola gas field at a cost of Tk 648.39 crore (about $77.184 million).

Rosatom, the Russian contractor of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), has completed the key stage in manufacturing the first Reactor Pressure Vessel of the project.

Dhaka, Oct 1 (UNB) - Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction achieved another milestone by installing reactor support truss at Unit 1 of the project on Saturday last, said the Russian contractor Rosatom.

Dhaka, Aug 6 (UNB) - Bangladesh signed a nuclear fuel supply agreement with Russia on Tuesday for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project.

Dhaka, July 21 (UNB) – The Housing and Public Works Ministry is likely to initiate departmental action soon against the officials involved in irregularities in the Green City Housing Project of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project.