Bangladesh Gets First Uranium Shipment From Russia

Facts

• On Thursday, Bangladesh secured its first shipment of uranium from Russia for its first nuclear power plant in Rooppur that's expected to support the country's electrical grid and improve its growing economy.¹
• The uranium, which arrived in Bangladesh late last month, was turned over to the authorities at a ceremony in Ishwardi, in the northern district of Pabna, with Russia's Vladimir Putin and Bangladesh's Sheikh Hasina attending remotely.²
• The first unit of the plant was scheduled to come online in July 2024, but construction was delayed due to COVID restrictions, Western sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine, and a setback over loan repayments.³
• The power plant, which is the most expensive infrastructure project under the leadership of Hasina and will be its largest power station once fully operational, comes as Bangladesh's electricity grid has suffered from daily blackouts that last up to 13 hours for months.⁴
• Rooppur is the first of two nuclear power plants that Bangladesh is building in collaboration with Russia's state-owned atomic company, Rosatom. The $12.65B project is financed up to 90% by a Russian loan repayable over 28 years with a 10-year grace period.⁵
• The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will make Bangladesh the 33rd nation to produce nuclear energy. Upon completion, it's set to generate 2.4K megawatts of electricity, reportedly enough to power 15M homes or 10% of the local energy consumption.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Abc news, ³Reuters, ⁴France 24, ⁵Al Jazeera and ⁶Voa.

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by Sputnik india. This delivery marks another significant step towards the completion of the high-tech, large-scale project in Rooppur that will help boost Bangladesh's economy. Given that the South Asian nation hasn't been self-sufficient in electricity, continued cooperation with Moscow in the nuclear energy realm is crucial to developing the country's energy sector as a whole.
• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Nature. While nuclear power could be Russia's overlooked trump card in a decarbonizing world, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is a perfect example of how the Kremlin uses its nuclear energy engagements to gain political influence globally. Bangladesh is dangerously heading towards a path of dependency on Russian resources for a very long time.

Predictions