It is being built by the RussianRosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation.
The proposal was made in 1961. Government took 254 acres (103 ha) of land in that year to build the plant. In 1963 the plant was approved. Discussions took place with the Government of Canada in 1964 and 1966. Discussions with the governments of Sweden and Norway were also going on in those years. However, no real progress was achieved. After the independence of Bangladesh, the Government of Bangladesh started discussion with the Soviet Union in 1974, however no agreement was reached. In 2001 the government adopted a national Nuclear Power Action Plan.
In 2009 the Bangladesh government again started discussion with the Russian government and on 13 February the two governments signed a memorandum of understanding. Rosatom said they would start construction by 2013.
In 2013 a group of Bangladeshi scientists and the global diaspora voiced profound concern over the safety and economic viability of the plant. Several separate issues were raised, from the unsuitability of the site to the obsolescence of the VVER-1000 model proposed, questionable financing arrangements and a lack of agreement with Russia over nuclear waste disposal.
In 2015 the proposal was delayed by a year. Rosatom offered a two VVER-1200 reactor power plant, increasing output to 2.4 GWe. By December 2015 The Daily Star reported that the estimated cost of the plant had climbed to US$13 billion, from statements of around US$4 billion made earlier in the same year.[13]German based Transparency International expressed concern on 28 December 2015 about the safety of the proposed plant.
In 2016 ground preparation work commenced. The $12.65 billion contract is 90% funded by a loan from the Russian government. The two units generating 2.4 GWe are planned to be operational in 2023 and 2024. Rosatom will operate the units for the first year before handing over to Bangladeshi operators. Russia will supply the nuclear fuel and take back spent nuclear fuel.
On 4 November 2017, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission received, from Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, the design and construction license of Unit 1, paving the way for the nuclear island first concrete pour.
At the 61st general conference of the global nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Shekhar Basu (Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India) mentioned that India is also involved in this project with Russia, however, the level of Indian involvement (collaboration) in this project has not been established yet, as India is not a member of the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG), which controls the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nukes.
On 30 November 2017, first concrete was poured for the nuclear island
basemat of Unit 1. A ceremony was held, attended by Rosatom’s
director-general Alexey Likhachev and the prime minister of Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina. On 14 July 2018, first concrete was poured for Unit 2.
Bangladesh’s development strategy sees the country becoming a middle-income nation by 2021, in large part by emphasis on its science and technology sector to drive economic growth. The ministry of science and technology (MoST) estimated in 2014 that US$6.2 billion will be needed in the next decade to achieve the goals of Vision 2021. The Science and Technology Act 2010 is helping to boost this, and MoST is now allocating over $150 million per year to nuclear technology development as gas reserves become depleted.The power plant will also promote the local economy of Rooppur, Pabna.
The country has had a TRIGA 3 MW research reactor operational since 1986.
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