John Angelillo /Pool Photo via AP
- Bangladesh began working on a nuclear power plant in November 2017, The Business Standard reported.
- On Sunday the first reactor pressure vessel was installed at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
- The government expects to start commercial operation of the plant in 2024.
Bangladesh took a major step towards completing its first nuclear power plant on Sunday, The Business Standard reported.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the installation of the reactor pressure vessel at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant via video conference and said the country has now entered a "nuclear era," the outlet reported.
"We will join the world's nuclear powers, but for peace," the prime minister said. "This will ensure power generation, which will reach the rural people and elevate their socio-economic condition."
Rooppur is located in Ruppur, Bangladesh, about 100 miles from the country's capital of Dhaka.
In December 2015, Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia to set up two nuclear power plants, a $12.65 billion investment.
Bangladesh began construction on its first power plant in November 2017, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Business Standard reported that the government expects to start commercial operation of the Rooppur plant in 2024.
Hasina said the government is now looking for a "suitable" location for the second power plant, The Dhaka Tribune reported.
"We're looking for a place in the Southern region … It's difficult to find hard soil there but we're surveying various islands and different places to find a suitable one," Hasina said, according to the Tribune.
The Business Standard reported that Bangladesh is now the 33rd country to have a nuclear reactor for electricity production.
Hasina said she hopes nuclear power helps Bangladesh to become a more developed country: "If the government can build another nuclear power plant in the country, there'll be no problem in power supply," The Dhaka Tribune reported.