MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. The physical launch of Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bangladesh is expected in the coming days, Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev said.
"In the coming days, we expect to proceed with the physical launch of the first power unit of the Rooppur NPP. The nuclear power plant for Bangladesh is not just a new generation facility. It is a fundamental solution capable of changing people’s quality of life for decades ahead and creating a reliable energy base for economic growth. <…> Under these conditions, commissioning domestic nuclear generation is not only a matter of energy, but also one of national security and resilience," Likhachev said in an interview with newspaper Strana Rosatom.
Likhachev added that the Rooppur project opens the way for Bangladesh to join the group of countries possessing nuclear energy as a core national competence, and the launch of the plant is a historic event for the country.
"With the launch of Rooppur, Bangladesh is gaining not just electricity. The country is gaining access to the circle of states that possess nuclear energy as one of their fundamental national competencies. That always means more than megawatts. It means a new quality of education, its own engineering school, industrial culture, and a high standard of governance. That is why I believe that commissioning the Rooppur NPP is a historic event for Bangladesh," Likhachev said.
At the same time, he stressed that Bangladesh’s leadership has maintained a consistent approach to implementing the Rooppur project despite significant domestic political changes last year.
"For us, it is especially important that Bangladesh’s leadership has maintained consistency in implementing the [Rooppur NPP] project despite the serious internal political changes of last year. In my view, this is an example of a responsible state approach. Nuclear energy requires a very long planning horizon. One cannot live from one political season to another here. If a country decides to develop nuclear energy, it is effectively choosing stability, industrial growth, scientific development, and an increase in its technological standing," Likhachev said.