http://energybangla.com/nuke-power-plant-cost-up-three-times/http://energybangla.com/bd-will-have-3-generation-nuclear-reactor-v-limarenko/June 18, 2015

BD will have 3+ generation nuclear reactor- V. Limarenko

A group of Bangladeshi journalists attended the recently concluded International Atomic Energy Conference, ATOMEXPO-2015 in Moscow. Valery Limarenko, Director General of NIAEP, sister concern of Rosatom had an interaction session with the Bangladeshi journalists, where he shared many important issues regarding Rooppur NPP. It may be mentioned here that NIAEP has been assigned to do the feasibility study of the Rooppur site, engineering design of the project, physical work at the main construction site and others.

Q What is the latest status of feasibility study at Rooppur site? Could you finalise the design of the nuclear reactor to be set up at Rooppur?

VL We have concluded 3 contracts with the Government of Bangladesh. The 1st contract is for engineering survey. 2nd contract for basic design stage. The 3rd contract for physical works which are required at the main construction site. The design will be completed by the end of this year. So well be able to answer your question then.

Q What do you think when the general contract for construction of Rooppur NPP will be signed?

VL Now we are working on the main contract and on the technical appendices. Theres a strong team of experts from Bangladesh who visited Moscow recently and we were discussing the details of the contracts. We expect to finish the works on the contract within next few months. I think the main clauses of the contract regarding prices will be approved in July or August. If the final agreement gets approval from Bangladesh Government signing should happen according to our schedule by the 1st of November.

Q- We know that you have already done the environmental assessment for the Rooppur NPP. Local public want to know if there is any possibility of negative impact on the local people and environment?

VL Thank you for your question. Ill be glad to answer it. We are building the safest nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. The prototype of the plant, or a reference project is Novovoronezh power plant, the construction of which is being completed at the moment. Now it is going through trial operation and is expected to be connected to the grid this year. It will be the first 3+ generation nuclear power plant in the world. The nuclear power plant we are going to build in Bangladesh will be similar to this. It will be an export version of this project and it will be called VVER-TOI. It will be designed in the most advanced information format. And Id like to say that from the safety point of view this power plant will be the most perfect, thats why its called generation 3+. There are no power plants of this quality in the world now. NPPs of generation 3 are operated now in China, its a Russian design Tianwan NPP. And theres one in India its Kudankulam NPP.

Q What will be the cost of Rooppur NPP? Can you give any hint on that?

VL Its a commercial issue, I cant disclose this information at the moment. I request for your understanding. But I can tell you that when the general contract and inter-governmental agreement on credit will be signed this information will be public.

Q What are the safety measures you are planning for the Rooppur NPP?

VL As I said the Rooppur NPP will have the most advanced technology, and all necessary measures stipulated by technical measures of global level will be taken. It will be a plant combining active and passive safety systems. It will have double containments and core catcher. So all possible safety measures will be adopted for the project. The project will be absolutely safe and there is no chance of any negative impact on the environment.

Q Some scientists in Bangladesh say that the site of Rooppur power plant has risk of earthquakes. How are you planning to address the threat?

VL First Id like to say that the place is rather good. Its not the most dangerous place, I would say its quite safe. There are specific technical tasks, not easy tasks that well have to solve. As for seismic, Id like to say that the type of power plant we are going to set up will be able to withstand earthquake of 9 points in the Richter scale. We have good references to the ability of our power plants to withstand earthquakes. For example the earthquake in Armenia in the city of Spitak. Every building in the city was destroyed by the earthquake but the nuclear plant built by us remained unharmed and continued its normal operation after corresponding preventive maintenance. It is a historical fact and I think this can be a good reference for you.

Nuke power plant cost up three times

Sharier Khan

The 2400-megawatt Rooppur nuclear power project is likely to cost around $10 billion, more than three times the initial estimate of the government.

The projects Russian developer Rosatom has been dropping hints since last year that the cost may go up to $10 billion. A couple of years ago the government had estimated that the plant would cost between $2 billion and $3 billion.

The government and Rosatom have been saying that the cost of a power project like this cannot be specified before the entire project design is complete, which is scheduled to be done by the end of the year.

The government is in talks with Russia on financing the project, and its terms and conditions with a target to conclude the negotiation by November. Bangladesh is seeking 90 percent of the project financing from Russia. The loan will be repaid in 28 years with a 10-year grace period.We have not gone to the level of discussing exactly how much money would be required for the project, said State Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman, who has been spearheading the project since 2009. As of now, we are trying to understand the components of construction.

But similar power plants being built by Russia in different countries are coming with a price tag between $10 billion and $13 billion.

In December last year, Russias state-run nuclear power company Rosatom signed an agreement to build a 2,000MW nuclear plant in Jordan for $10 billion.However, despite such a high cost, electricity generated at the Rooppur plant would actually be cheaper than that of coal-fired plants and a little costlier than that of gas-powered plants. This low cost is due to comparatively cheaper fuel and a long plant life.

We will not accept any unrealistic pricing for this project, said Yeafesh Osman when asked if he was aware of the global price trend.

The IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] is with us and there is an international practice. We will do our part of exercise before we conclude the financing negotiations in November.With technical assistance from the IAEA, Bangladesh has already taken a few major steps towards implementing the countrys first nuclear power project. Under a $500 million Russian loan, Rosatom began various studies since mid-2013 and completed several pre-construction steps.

The nuclear power project was conceived in the sixties and its site was selected on the bank of the Padma river in Rooppur back then.

However, there had been almost no progress in this regard, thanks to a lack of political will, until the Awami League came to power in 2009 with a pledge to implement the project. It is now one of the governments top-priority projects.

Last year, additional land was acquired at the plant site as the river had moved away from the original site in the last four decades.

Once operational, the plant would ensure significant energy diversity for the country which has so far been largely dependent on gas-based power. As the countrys gas reserve is depleting fast, the government decided to build large coal-fired and nuclear power plants to ensure that the countrys economic growth is not obstructed by an electricity crisis.

WHY THE COST HIKE?

There is no universal answer to this simple question: What is the cost of an NPP [nuclear power plant] construction? Alexander Uvarov, editor in chief of independent information site atominfo.ru told. This paper approached Rosatom with the query. The local office of the Russian company then forwarded Uvarovs message to The Daily Star.

According to Uvarov, the construction costs vary since all nuclear power plants are tailor-made.

Uvarov noted that type of reactor, site conditions and safety requirements directly affect the price. Using a powerful reactor would make each kilowatt of electricity cheaper than that of smaller reactors.

If the plant is located in an earthquake zone, the construction cost would go high. Additional safety installations would also add up to the cost.

In addition, lack of qualified nuclear power engineers, enterprises, employees would increase the project cost.

So, what is the cost of an NPP construction? The French will remain for a long time global leaders in terms of [high] cost. Their reactors, which they build in France and Finland, will cost about 8.5 billion euro Other nuclear technology suppliers still try to keep down the cost ranging between 4 and 6 billion dollars per reactor, he said, adding that in case of Rooppur, the price could be determined only after all terms and conditions for construction and development of nuclear infrastructure are finalised in the general contract.

3RD GEN REACTOR

Through the last two years exercise, the government and Rosatom have agreed to use two units of Russias latest third generation water-water-energetic reactor VVER-1200 in Rooppur. The first one would be installed by 2020-21, and the second one a few years later, while the physical construction of the plant begins next year.

The VVER-1200 has a service life of 60 years which makes the power generation cost very cheap. This reactor has four layers of safety, including core melt trap (or core catcher), passive system for heat removal from the reactor, and passive system for heat removal from the steam generator.

The core melt trap is the top safety feature to minimise consequences in case of severe accidents. Rosatom will supply the nuclear fuel and take care of the spent fuel rods.

from The Daily Star

Without meeting all safety Rooppur plant will be suicidal: Experts

Constructing the Rooppur nuclear power plant without meeting all safety and environmental standards and preparation of skilled human resource could be a suicidal move, said experts at a discussion on 15th February.The discussion, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant: Prospects and Concerns, was organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) and Doctors for Health and Environment in Dhaka Reporters Unity.Abdul Matin, former chief engineer of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, said choosing a densely populated site like Rooppur multiplies the danger.In case of an accident, shall we have enough logistics to move 30 million people in a short notice and provide them with food, shelter, sanitation and medical facilities for years or decades? he asked.If we are not prepared with necessary manpower to do this job now, it is advisable to wait and build the manpower first, he added.Citing examples of past nuclear accidents, former International Atomic Energy Agency director Jasim Uddin Ahmed said it would be difficult to handle such a disaster. About three million people in a radius of 30 kilometres will be directly affected if an accident takes place, he said.Bapa General Secretary Dr MA Matin and Pinaki Bhattacharya, a blogger and online activist, also spoke.http://isreview.org/issue/77/case-against-nuclear-powerhttp://www.plux.co.uk/basic-nuclear-physics/