The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) of Bangladesh has approved the construction of the two-unit 2,400 MWe Rooppur nuclear power project, which will be the first nuclear plant in Bangladesh and its most expensive power project. Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said after the meeting that the Bangladesh Nuclear Energy Commission will implement the project by 2025. The project BDT1,131bn ($14.2bn) will be part-financed by Russia, which is building the plant. Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom agreed in November 2011 to finance 80% of the total project cost. The remaining 20% will be financed by the government. Construction of unit 1 is expected to start in August 2017 followed by unit 2 in 2018 for operation in 2025.
