Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday sought constant support from Russia for building another nuclear power plant in Bangladesh’s southern region.

“Once the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is completed, we’ll go for setting up another in the southern region of the country. We need constant Russian support in this regard,” she said.

Read: Looking for a place for Bangladesh’s second nuke plant: Hasina

The Prime Minister said this while Director General of  Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation of Russia Alexey Likhachev met her at her official residence Ganobhaban.

PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

He said the Rosatom DG also expressed their country’s willingness to continue support to Bangladesh’s power sector.

Hasina said the Rooppur Power Plant is the first nuclear power plant in  Bangladesh which is being built with the help of Russia.

The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of maintaining appropriate security measures in the plant and asked the Rosatom DG to train Bangladeshi people in this regard.

She appreciated Russia for extending its help to construct the first-ever nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

Read: Equipment manufacturing for Rooppur nuke plant gathers pace

Talking about the Covid-19 pandemic, the Prime Minister said the pandemic has slightly slowed down the country’s overall development, and Bangladesh is now in the process of recovery.

She recalled with gratitude the assistance and cooperation of the then Russian Federation during Bangladesh’s Independence War and rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

Alexey Likhachev highly appreciated Sheikh Hasina’s strong support and guidance towards Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and said the cooperation between the two countries has entered an atomic sphere. “Bangladesh will become a nuclear energy power by 2023,” he said.

Describing the present status of the project, Likhachev, “We’ve all the technical aspects and the security measures into account.”

About the completion of the ongoing project, he said the timeline may be adjusted.

Regarding training, he said they will train Bangladeshis to run the plant and will also give attention to social development in the project area.

He said more than 20,000 Bangladeshi people are working in the project while some local companies have been given various jobs on sub-contracts. “They’re remarkable,” he said.

The Rosatom DG also praised and thanked the Science and Technology Ministry and Atomic Energy Commission for its all-out support and cooperation.

Read: Rooppur Nuke Plant: Cabinet okays draft protocol with Russia

He thanked the Health Ministry for its cooperation in vaccinating 90 percent of the Russian people working in the project.

Science and Technology Minister Architect Yeafesh Osman, Ambassador-at-Large Mohammad Ziauddin, Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus and Secretary of Science and Technology Ministry Ziaul Hasan were also present.