Bangladesh

As of 31 December 2023

Two VVER-1200s are under construction in Bangladesh at Rooppur, on the east bank of the Padma River, about 160 km northwest of Dhaka.

Construction of unit 1 began in November 2017, followed by unit 2 in July 2018. The reactors are designated as V-523, which are based on the V-392M reactors at Novovoronezh II in Russia.  Once complete, the two-unit plant is expected to provide about 9% of the country’s electricity.

In October 2022 the government announced that the construction of Rooppur was running approximately one year behind schedule due to issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The same month, due to sanctions imposed on Russia, the Russian government issued a mandate to Bangladesh’s government to repay the loans provided for the construction of the plant in Russian rubles instead of US dollars. In April 2023 the Bangladesh government opted to settle a $318 million pending repayment in Chinese yuan as international sanctions against Russian banks made payments in rubles impractical.

WNN Links

Rooppur: Bangladesh paying Russia in yuan to sidestep sanctions: World Nuclear News - 18 April 2023