Delays in Rooppur power transmission project due to Russia-Ukraine War: Nasrul 

Execution of the power transmission projects taken for electricity distribution from the 2,400MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is being delayed due to the Russia-Ukraine War, says State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid.

He made the remarks while addressing the press at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The state minister said, "But, works are ongoing. The project will not be delayed by too long."

"The first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is expected to go into production by the end of next year. The transmission lines have to be kept prepared at least six months in advance for various tests. 

According to sources, due to fund issues, authorities are yet to finalise a contractor for the river crossing transmission project, one of the five package projects to facilitate power distribution from the nuclear power plant.

As per the project plan, the first unit of the nuclear power plant will supply 1,200MW power in 2023 while the same amount of electricity will be available from the second unit in 2024.

The project has seen around 53 % financial progress and 55% physical progress. However, the overall progress of the first unit is 70%.

The Rooppur project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission with the technical and financial support of Russia.

The project's construction cost, including manpower training, amounts to $12.65 billion, and 90% of it is being funded by Russia.