TIB, transparency international Bangladesh, calls to disclose the terms and conditions of Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant agreement. TIB addressed, the initiative to build such kind of power plant is a positive set taken by the government. Executive director of TIB Dr. Iftekharuzzaman said this in a statement.
On the statement he claimed to disclose the terms and conditions such as ensuring liability of suppliers in case of any negative environmental impact as well as risks and accidents with potentials of threats to safety and security of life and living; provisions for financing of this highly expensive project including terms and conditions for funding; statement of potential benefits and burdens for the people of Bangladesh compared to those of the suppliers; and above all whether and to what extent the deal has been reached ensuring competitiveness in terms of globally available options of efficiency, economy, technology and safety.
The agreement with Russia to build the country’s first nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna was a positive step by the Government. The plant will emit les carbon. However, Bangladesh has to depend almost totally on the foreign supplier for necessary raw materials, skills and expertise.
In the statement TIB’s Executive Director said: “We are concerned particularly for the fact that Russian nuclear reactors are widely considered even by reputed Russian environmentalists as unsafe and unreliable. Atomsroyexport, owned jointly by Rosatom and Gazprombank, both Russian State-owned institutions, is not known to be credible enough to ensure suppliers’ liability in case of accident.” it was reported that the total cost of the plants would be around US$ 4 billion; this has shot up to nearly US$ 13 billion in the last three months. This variation in the cost of the project can potentially raise many questions.