PM wants no more delay in Ruppoor N-power plant work

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Monday asked the science and information and communication technology ministry to complete negotiations with the countries willing to set up the Ruppoor nuclear power plant in order to start work on the proposed project without delay.
She made the directive at a regular cabinet meeting, where the science and ICT ministry officials submitted a report of a Bangladesh delegation which had attended the 53rd general assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna in September 14-18.
Science and information technology secretary led the team to the IAEA assembly.
Sources present at the meeting said that Hasina had instructed the officials to complete negotiations with the countries interested in setting up the nuclear power plant.
A number of countries, including Russia, China, France and South Korea have expressed interest in recent times in installing the power plant, conceived nearly five decades ago.
The prime minister’s press secretary, Abul Kalam Azad said that the six-member Bangladesh delegation that had attended the general assembly of the IAEA, submitted its report to the cabinet.
In its report, the team said that Austria had offered to assist Bangladesh in construction of the Ruppur atomic power plant and that there was a chance for the scientists of the country to work in Austria.
‘Negotiation with Russia has made some progress and it has assured us of better management of the nuclear waste. But which country will be engaged in installation of the plant has not yet been finalised. The prime minister wants that work on the project starts immediately,’ said a minister present at the meeting.
The government hopes to get 1,100 megawatts of power from nuclear reactors by 2015 to meet the growing demands, though the work is yet to get desired pace.

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