[🇧🇩] Civilian/Military Nuclear Program in Bangladesh

[Saif]

রূপপুর পারমাণবিক বিদ্যুৎ কেন্দ্রের নিরাপত্তা বলয় সম্পর্কে জানলে চমকে উঠবেন

 

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Construction, installation work done

The construction and installation works at Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) have been completed, Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom said in a statement on Wednesday. The personnel of the RNPP has started a large-scale test programme for physical start-up, s

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Unit-1
Construction, installation work done
M Azizur Rahman
Published :
Dec 20, 2024 01:18
Updated :
Dec 20, 2024 01:18

The construction and installation works at Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) have been completed, Russia's state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom said in a statement on Wednesday.

The personnel of the RNPP has started a large-scale test programme for physical start-up, said the statement. The first stage of operation began to bring the reactor plant to the rated parameters on December 18, it said.

During this stage, the operability of equipment and mechanisms will be tested. The reactor coolant pumps (RPC) will be launched and tested for the first time. The reactor plant will be tested at the rated parameters without nuclear fuel. Once the compliance of the equipment with all the design parameters is confirmed, the unit will be ready for the start-up operations, said the statement.

"We have entered the final preparation of Rooppur NPP Unit- 1 for the physical start-up. This is an important stage where we must carry out a large scope of work and tests to prove the operability of the process systems in all the operating modes," said Andrey Petrov, First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Energy of Rosatom and President of ASE.

"We fulfill all our obligations and guarantee the reliability and safety of our technologies. The first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh will support the country's economy and will work for the benefit of its future generations," he said.

Commissioning of RNPP will ensure supply of environmentally-friendly and safe energy providing for around 10 per cent of the total energy consumption in Bangladesh, the Rosatom statement said.

But the commissioning of the RNPP will face delays as the construction work of the required transmission line to evacuate electricity from the RNPP is not yet completed, said a senior official of Bangladesh's state-run Power Grid Company Bangladesh (PGCB).

Although the construction and installation work have been completed, the commissioning of the RNPP will not be possible without the transmission line, he said.

Building around 16 kilometer (km) of transmission lines over two major rivers - 9.0 km over the Jamuna River and 7.0 km over the Padma River - might be completed within the next several months, he said.

Maintaining frequency in the power transmission system from the RNPP project will be the biggest challenge after completion of the river-crossing power transmission lines, he said.

Fuel loading in the unit will start once construction of the transmission line is complete, the official added.

The PGCB official said that the construction work of the transmission line was halted during mid-July when the mighty river saw huge flow of water. After mid-July, the construction work ceased again due to the mass uprising that toppled the Awami League government on August 5, he said.

The RNPP equipped with two Russian VVER-1200 reactors having the total capacity of 2400 MW is being constructed at Ishwardi upazila in Pabna in accordance with General Contract signed on December 25, 2015.

The VVER-1200 reactors belong to evolutionary Generation III+ design which fully complies with all the international safety requirements. Engineering Division of Rosatom is the General Designer and General Contractor of the Rooppur project.​

 

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ACC opens probe into alleged Rooppur nuclear project graft

Information from various open sources stated that the aforementioned project has been marred by financial irregularities amounting to about $5 billion.

en.prothomalo.com

ACC opens probe into alleged Rooppur nuclear project graft
BSS
Dhaka
Updated: 23 Dec 2024, 18: 36

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated an enquiry into allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering involved in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.

A special team of five ACC officials are conducting the entire enquiry, according to an ACC report titled 'A summary on alleged corruption and embezzlement in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project'.

Information from various open sources stated that the aforementioned project has been marred by financial irregularities amounting to about $5 billion.

The report implicates ousted Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her Son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed (Joy) and niece Tulip Siddiq embezzled $5 Billion from overpriced $12.65 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

It is alleged that these individuals siphoned offs substantial sums of money through various offshore accounts in Malaysia, following questionable procurement practices related to the overpriced construction of the entire Nuclear Plant.

It has also been stated that the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project, which was initially launched with the noble goal of addressing Bangladesh's growing energy needs, now appears to be overshadowed by these serious allegations, the ACC report said.

The claims of kickbacks, mismanagement, money laundering, and potential abuse of power raise significant concerns about the integrity of the project and the use of public funds.

The allegations of corruption against Tulip Siddiq's family members:

Tulip's paternal uncle, Tarique Ahmed Siddique, is the Security Advisor to the deposed Bangladeshi Prime Minister, his wife and daughter are stakeholders in a fake company named Prochchaya Limited (Incorporation Certificate Number C-75659/09, dated 25 March 2009).

This company, in affiliation with a cheat fund company named Destiny Group, had laundered around $900 million to different countries, including the United Kingdom and has opened a company named Zumana Investment & Properties Limited [Incorporation Certificate Number 7417417, dated 25 October 2010] in the United Kingdom by investigating dirty money, the ACC said.

Various newspapers claim in the UK and worldwide that Labour Party MP Tulip Siddiq has maintained discreet connections with Moscow since she met President Putin.

Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Joy launder $300m to US:

According to other allegation, the name of Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed (Joy) first came up as a money laundering suspect in the United States versus Rizvi Ahmed case in 2014.

Later, a probe conducted by a powerful US intelligence agency uncovered serious financial scams involving Sajeeb Wazed.

It has also noted that in particular, information emerged that money was being laundered from various offshore bank accounts in Hong Kong and the Cayman Islands in his name to various bank accounts in Washington and New York in the United States and London in the United Kingdom through a local money exchange entity.

The US intelligence agency also confirmed the matter through their London representative and found evidence of serious financial irregularities and money laundering committed by Sajeeb Wazed.

It has also mentioned that Linda Samuels, Senior Trial Attorney of the Department of Justice, contacted Special Agent La Prevot and found that $300 million was deposited from Bangladesh to various bank accounts in the United States, the report said.

Moreover, the commission has initiated a new enquiry into Tk 800 billion corruption allegations against deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, her younger sister Sheikh Rehana and Rehana's daughter and British minister Tulip Siddiq.

The alleged corruption involving Tk 800 billion occurred in nine projects, including the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and the Special Ashrayan Project during the Awami League government between 2009 and 2023, according to the allegation.

Recently, the special enquiry team has collected the preliminary identity documents from Election Commission office and from Immigration and Passport Department.

A special requisition report has been sent to Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) for supplying relevant documents and statements of offshore bank accounts running by the name of the suspected persons, according to the ACC report.​