Sorting out issues in earnest for a nuclear power plant
Thursday, 13 September 2007
Muhammad Hanif
ADVISER for Foreign Affairs Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has indicated about possible future Russian cooperation in nuclear energy sector in Bangladesh, in the course of his press briefing the other day about the outcome of his recent visit to Moscow. Bangladesh has to develop its capacity to build nuclear power plant/plants as a viable option for meeting the domestic demand for energy that has been increasing at a high rate. It is not a new option for the country and the people of this country have heard about Ruppur Nuclear Power Project since long. Discussions on this project even date back to the pre-independence period. The project has been on the card since the First Five Year Development Plan period that began in the post-independent era. However, no meaningful progress could so far be achieved in getting the project off the ground, notwithstanding efforts at planning stage to take it up for implementation. The project remains yet at the same old conceptual stage. No detailed project profile has yet been made ready for effective follow-up efforts for funding support, technological inputs and related matters.
Several Asian countries have already undertaken nuclear power plants for implementation under effective safety guard provisions including supervision mechanism. China, Korea, India and Pakistan are already well advanced for tapping the potential of nuclear energy for meeting their growing demand for power. Such countries have drawn up short, medium and long term programmes for development of their power sector. But we, in Bangladesh, are yet to firm up such programmes. Rather, policy flip-flops have become a pattern for us and our failure in the past several years to pursue a consistent set of programmes within the framework of a firm national energy policy has landed us in serious troubles to tackle the long-lingering problems in power sector. We are not yet certain whether the incumbent government will be able to come forward finally with effective programmes for addressing such problems. All concerned would expect it to do the needful for this vital sector on a priority basis.
Against this backup, we would agree with the Adviser for Foreign Affairs that time has come to start primary negotiations with our possible partners who might help us in establishing a nuclear power plant. But things should not stop here. The government has to take firm and decisive step for the negotiation process to begin in earnest and for preparing a befitting project for the purpose with detailed cost estimates and possible technical and financial supports so that its implementation can begin soon than later.
There is no denying that the nuclear power technology involves complex issues. All related matters thereof should be discussed at the national level to arrive at a final decision. Bangladesh will require to develop its domestic technical know-how in this connection while firming up arrangements for cooperation and collaboration with its development partners from aboard. One has to keep it mind that not all countries, even having the expertise and capability, do like to extend cooperation to others in the field of nuclear technology. So we must make the right selection about our possible and potential partner or partners for setting up the nuclear power plant. Russia is, of course, a promising source of support and cooperation for the purpose. Negotiations with such partners should seriously be pursued to yield a positive outcome as far as the setting up of a nuclear power plant is concerned. It takes a long time for implementation of such a plant. Hence, no time should be wasted while moving ahead with negotiations in order to firm up a possible deal at the earliest.
ADVISER for Foreign Affairs Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has indicated about possible future Russian cooperation in nuclear energy sector in Bangladesh, in the course of his press briefing the other day about the outcome of his recent visit to Moscow. Bangladesh has to develop its capacity to build nuclear power plant/plants as a viable option for meeting the domestic demand for energy that has been increasing at a high rate. It is not a new option for the country and the people of this country have heard about Ruppur Nuclear Power Project since long. Discussions on this project even date back to the pre-independence period. The project has been on the card since the First Five Year Development Plan period that began in the post-independent era. However, no meaningful progress could so far be achieved in getting the project off the ground, notwithstanding efforts at planning stage to take it up for implementation. The project remains yet at the same old conceptual stage. No detailed project profile has yet been made ready for effective follow-up efforts for funding support, technological inputs and related matters.
Several Asian countries have already undertaken nuclear power plants for implementation under effective safety guard provisions including supervision mechanism. China, Korea, India and Pakistan are already well advanced for tapping the potential of nuclear energy for meeting their growing demand for power. Such countries have drawn up short, medium and long term programmes for development of their power sector. But we, in Bangladesh, are yet to firm up such programmes. Rather, policy flip-flops have become a pattern for us and our failure in the past several years to pursue a consistent set of programmes within the framework of a firm national energy policy has landed us in serious troubles to tackle the long-lingering problems in power sector. We are not yet certain whether the incumbent government will be able to come forward finally with effective programmes for addressing such problems. All concerned would expect it to do the needful for this vital sector on a priority basis.
Against this backup, we would agree with the Adviser for Foreign Affairs that time has come to start primary negotiations with our possible partners who might help us in establishing a nuclear power plant. But things should not stop here. The government has to take firm and decisive step for the negotiation process to begin in earnest and for preparing a befitting project for the purpose with detailed cost estimates and possible technical and financial supports so that its implementation can begin soon than later.
There is no denying that the nuclear power technology involves complex issues. All related matters thereof should be discussed at the national level to arrive at a final decision. Bangladesh will require to develop its domestic technical know-how in this connection while firming up arrangements for cooperation and collaboration with its development partners from aboard. One has to keep it mind that not all countries, even having the expertise and capability, do like to extend cooperation to others in the field of nuclear technology. So we must make the right selection about our possible and potential partner or partners for setting up the nuclear power plant. Russia is, of course, a promising source of support and cooperation for the purpose. Negotiations with such partners should seriously be pursued to yield a positive outcome as far as the setting up of a nuclear power plant is concerned. It takes a long time for implementation of such a plant. Hence, no time should be wasted while moving ahead with negotiations in order to firm up a possible deal at the earliest.