Nuclear power in Bangladesh

Rooppur

Planned

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Nuclear power stations in Bangladesh (view)
 Under construction
 Planned plants

Bangladesh first conceived building a nuclear power plant in 1961. The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1973. The country currently operates a TRIGA research reactor at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Savar.^[1]

More recently, in 2001 Bangladesh adopted a national Nuclear Power Action Plan.^[2] On 24 June 2007, Bangladesh's government announced plans to build a nuclear power plant to meet electricity shortages.^[3] In May 2010, Bangladesh entered into a civilian nuclear agreement with the Russian Federation. It also has framework agreements for peaceful nuclear energy applications with the US, France and China.

In February 2011, Bangladesh reached an agreement with Russia to build the 2,400 megawatt (MW) Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant with two reactors, each of which will generate 1,200 MW of power. The nuclear power plant will be built at Ruppur, on the banks of the Padma River, in the Ishwardi subdistrict of Pabna, in the northwest of the country. The RNPP is estimated to cost up to US$2 billion, and start operating by 2024.^[4][5][6] The inter-governmental agreement (IGA) was officially signed on 2 November 2011.^[7] Adjusted cost for construction and commissioning of the Ruppur plant is $12.65 billion.^[8]

On 29 May 2013 Bangladesh's Prime Minister declared that a second 2 GW nuclear power plant will be constructed in the southern region of the country. In 2019, site selection was still in progress, with a focus on the coastal region at the Bay of Bengal.^[9][10]

Bangladesh received the first shipment of uranium fuel from Russia for its first nuclear power station in October 2023, making it the world's 33rd nuclear energy producer.^[11]