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The government is trying to complete the construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant within the stipulated time frame, but the Russia-Ukraine war is causing delays in the project, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said on Wednesday.
He made the remark while briefing reporters after a joint meeting between the Ministry of Science and Technology and Power Division at the Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka, held to discuss the construction progress of a power transmission line from the nuclear power plant in Rooppur.
“Due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the subsequent USD crisis, the work of the project has been delayed to some extent,” he added.
Present at the briefing, Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman said, “There are many challenges, including the rise in the value of USD. However, with the combined efforts of all stakeholders, the work is expected to be completed on time or sooner.”
The 2,400MW Rooppur NPP project, having two units each with 1,200MW generation capacity, was undertaken in 2010. The first unit of RNPP was expected to generate electricity from October 2023, and the second unit from July 2024.
Due to the delay in the construction of transmission lines, Yeafesh Osman has expressed concern over RNPP being able to start electricity generation within the stipulated time.
“We are trying to finish the job within the nearest point of the timeline”, he said, adding, both the Science and Technology Ministry and the Power Division will work together in a coordinated manner to complete the project.
About the power transmission line project, Nasrul said this project was also delayed for the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. “Efforts are now on to expedite the project’s implementation,” he said.
He said the transmission line’s crossing of River Padma is a big challenge of the project, which may take another one and a half years to complete. “We hope we will be able to complete the transmission line before the completion of the power plant project,” Nasrul said.
