Why India Is Investing In Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant- Check Russia Connection | India News

Amid President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Friday highlighted the strong India-Russia partnership on the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project in Bangladesh, noting that the initiative is jointly supported by both nations.

India and Russia had formalized their cooperation in 2018, when the two sides signed an Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field after discussions between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin during the 19th Annual Bilateral Summit in New Delhi. The agreement was signed by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and India’s Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Kamlesh Vyas.

Rooppur marks the first India-Russia collaboration in a third country, given that India, not being a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, cannot directly build nuclear reactors abroad. Under the agreement, Russia has offered its advanced Generation 3+ VVER-1200 reactor technology, while also committing to expanding the Indian industry’s participation and local manufacturing.

The Rooppur project is expected to significantly boost the Make in India initiative by enabling the production of nuclear fuel assemblies in India and ensuring that most equipment and materials for the plant are sourced domestically.

In 2021, the Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that New Delhi would be involved in the development of the transmission lines for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, which is worth over USD 1 billion.

“A significant part of our third line of credit will go to civil nuclear cooperation. Transmission lines of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will be developed by Indian companies under the line of credit. Value of these transmission lines will be worth over USD 1 billion,” Shringla said, ANI reported.