‘Rooppur plant’s cost higher as it is new experience for Bangladesh’

Science and Technology Affairs Minister Yeafesh Osman today said that the installation cost of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is higher than that of India as Bangladesh is new to implement such a power plant.

He also spelt out a number of reasons behind the excessive cost of the power plant compared to Kudunkulam Nuclear Power Plant in India.

The minister made the statement while responding to a tabled starred question from BNP MP Rumeen Farhana in the Parliament. She in her question said that the capital expenditure of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Tk 45,000 crore higher than that of Kudunkulam Nuclear Power Plant in India.

Yeafesh said that the infrastructural expenditure of the nuclear power plant in Bangladesh is comparatively higher than that of India as the country is new in setting up nuclear power plant.

“India is operating and managing nuclear power plants for more than 50 years. As a result, they are self-sufficient in the setting of nuclear power plant,” he said.

He mentioned that currently 22 nuclear power plants are operating in India while another six is under construction and another 20 such plants have been approved.

The minister said that costing of each nuclear power plants depends on project site and site location, type of reactor technology, project management approach and contractual obligation of the contract, fund and financing scheme of the projects, national infrastructure to support nuclear power plant and licensing and legal aspects.

He also said that it was tough to compare a nuclear power plant with another due to differences above mentioned matters.

On the other hand, the Science and Technology Affairs Minister said that comparing a new country and the experienced one of implementing nuclear power plant was tough.

He also mentioned that soil condition of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project area was made usable for implementing a nuclear power plant, steps were taken like shore protection and filling up soils of the nuclear power plant area as it is situated on the bank of Padma River as the reason of increasing cost of RNPP.

Kudunkulam Nuclear Power Plant did not need this specific engineering, he added.

He also said that advanced study on site-specific parameters of RNPP like managing earthquake, flood, ecological and others was done in comparison with Kudunkulam Nuclear Power Plant.

The fourth session of the current parliament (11th parliament) will continue until September 12.

The decision came at the meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the current parliament held at Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday.

Committee chairman and Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury presided over the meeting.

The session will resume at 5:00 pm every working day.