Atomstroyexport has awarded an Rs7.37bn ($110m) civil works contract to a joint venture of India-based Hindustan Construction (HCC) and MAX Group for the 2,400MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh.
Image: Construction underway at the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. Photo: courtesy of JSC Atomstroyexport.
The contract given by the Russian nuclear firm is for carrying out civil works of Turbine Island for Unit 1 of what will be the first ever nuclear power plant in the Asian country. The share of HCC in the joint venture is 40%, which will be equivalent to $44m while the remaining share will go to the Bangladeshi construction company MAX Group.
HCC director and group CEO Arjun Dhawan said: “HCC has become the first Indian company to participate in the international civil nuclear market. We are confident of delivering this job on time with precision in quality, safety, and state-of-the-art technology.
“We look forward to further project awards in Rooppur NPP and expanding our infrastructure footprint in Bangladesh.”
Located 190km northwest of Dhaka, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built on the bank of River Padma at Rooppur in the Ishwardi Upazila of Pabna District with an investment of around $12.6bn.
The Bangladeshi nuclear power plant will feature two VVER type (AES-2006) pressurized water reactors, of 1200MW each to be built by Atomstroyexport, as part of a contract signed in December 2015.
Construction on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been underway since last November. Commissioning of the two nuclear reactors is expected to be done in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Upon its full commissioning, the nuclear power plant is anticipated to meet 10-15% of Bangladesh’s electricity requirements. The proposal to build the nuclear power project was made way back in 1961 but due to various reasons was delayed.
The Russian government is funding 90% of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant through a loan to Bangladesh.
Russia will also take up the responsibility of supplying the nuclear fuel for the plant.