UPDATE - Russia, Bangladesh 'tested' friends, Putin says at nuclear fuel handover

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY PUTIN, HASINA, GROSSI; CHANGES HEAD, DECK

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) — Bangladesh got one step closer to activating its first nuclear power plant on Thursday as Russia formally delivered an initial shipment of uranium fuel to the South Asian country.

Via video link, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina attended the graduation ceremony of Bangladesh 1st nuclear power plant located in the western district of Pabna.

Addressing the event, Putin said Russia's bilateral relations with Bangladesh are deep and would gain strength in the days ahead.

"I emphasize that Bangladesh is our tested friend, and we are old friends. This friendship is being built on equality, mutual respect, and being accepting of each other's interests," he added.

He said the bedrock of the Russia-Bangladesh friendship was established over 50 years ago, when the Soviet Union lent its support to East Bengal as it sought independence and a new state in the early 1970s.

Stressing that the Rooppur power plant would be completed on time, he said its first unit would be activated by the end of next year and its second in 2026.

For her part, Hasina said Bangladesh was committed to using nuclear power for peace and prosperity, thanking Russia for its "tested" friendship.

Noting that Russia had given assurances it would take back nuclear waste produced by the facility, she added that the plant would be part of the country's vision for a "Smart Bangladesh."

Bangladesh Science and Technology Minister Yafes Osman received the package at the project site from Director General Aleksey Likhachev of Moscow's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom.

The uranium will be among the first to fuel the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant once the facility's remaining distribution network is complete, making Bangladesh the 33rd nation in the world to use atomic energy.

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who also joined the event virtually, said the civilian nuclear program would be "a very important contribution" to Bangladesh's development.

Rosatom director Likhachev, meanwhile, said Russia had trained over 1,000 Bangladeshis to staff Rooppur, which will have a life cycle of 100 years.

The fuel shipment had initially arrived on Sept. 28 in the capital Dhaka, where it landed in a special Russian cargo plane before being taken to the project site. Another plane carrying a second batch touched down on Thursday.

Moscow is providing 90% financial support to build the $12.65 billion project. Bangladesh will have to start repaying the loan over 28 years after a decade-long grace period.

Rosatom, which is building the plant under a 2011 intergovernmental agreement, is also providing technical assistance for the plant, which consists of two 1,200-megawatt units to help meet growing electricity demand in the developing country. Some economists, however, fear that it will become a "white elephant" in terms of cost.

- US pressure

The fuel shipment comes as the government of Prime Minister Hasina is under mounting pressure from the US and its allies to hold "free and fair" elections.

Last month, Washington announced visa sanctions on some Bangladeshi law enforcement and government officials, as well as political party members, for allegedly undermining the democratic process.

Dhaka is also considering repaying the loan partially in Chinese currency as the West has sanctioned Russian banks, while some economists have voiced skepticism considering that Bangladesh is facing a crisis in its US dollar reserves.

In his first visit to Bangladesh early last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed US sanctions on Moscow for disrupting the payment and supply chain for the Rooppur plant project.

He vowed, however, that the flagship project would continue "in a consistent manner" as Russia seeks alternative payment options.

Moscow was a notable ally of Bangladesh in its 1971 war of independence against Pakistan, which the US opposed.