Spanish firm proposes to set up small N-power plants

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M Azizur Rahman
Spanish nuclear power developer company -- Cala Casa Sl (CCS) -- has proposed to set up small units of nuclear power plants having a minimum electricity generation capacity of 20 megawatts (MW) in Bangladesh.
"The CCS has submitted an expression of interest (EoI) to the Energy and Power Adviser Tapan Chowdhury last week to install the small units of 'generation IV' nuclear power plants having simplified gas-cooled reactor (SGR)," a senior Power Division official told the FE.
He said the Spanish company has named these small-scale nuclear power plants as SGR stations and intended to install the generation IV SGR stations as many as the government requires.
Elaborating the benefits of these nuclear plants the CCS termed the electricity generation from the proposed plants as 'highly reliable' capable to integrate with low voltage power grids.
"The SGR stations will easily meet the very high demand for power quality in the digital society," the CCS noted in its EoI.
The company said unit energy cost of nuclear power was comparable with power generated from coal at locations away from coal pits.
Electricity price to be generated from the SGR stations would be around Tk 2.50 per unit (1,000 kilowatt-hour), the company noted.
The lifetime of each of the SGR station would be 30 years.
Apart from generating electricity, one SGR station can produce about 5.0 million litres of drinking water per day, the CCS pointed out.
"The SGR can be used for food-preservation using gamma rays," said the Spanish company adding, "The SGR can be used to sterilise medical equipment using gamma rays."
The CCS is looking for Indian market too and placed similar proposal to install a nuclear power plant in Orissa of India in collaboration with the State Government about one year ago, Indian media reported.
It said that it will invest 80 per cent in the project and the rest will be borne by the State Government in India.
Power Division sources said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) responded positively to the Bangladesh's work plan to set up the country's first nuclear power plant having a generation capacity between 700 megawatt (MW) and 1,000 MW at Rooppur in the northwestern Pabna district.
"Bangladesh will send a delegation to the IAEA in mid-January next to expedite the process of installing a nuclear power plant with its assistance," Tapan Chowdhury told the FE.