{
  "id": 12533635,
  "title": "Bangaldesh's nuclear moment at Rooppur",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/bangaldeshs-nuclear-moment-at-rooppur",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-07T02:53:44.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times",
    "slug": "the-economic-times",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/from-sleepy-village-to-nuclear-hub-rooppur-waits-for-bangladeshs-power-breakthrough/articleshow/134754463.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Bangladesh is set to inaugurate its inaugural nuclear power plant, Rooppur, a long-awaited initiative that promises to mitigate the country's persistent power crises, despite concerns from some over living in its proximity.\n\nThe 2.4-gigawatt Rooppur nuclear plant, a $13-billion endeavor spanning over a decade, has revitalized the once tranquil village of the same name, attracting Russian personnel, new enterprises, and employment opportunities.\n\nUpon completion, its two reactors are anticipated to provide over 10 percent of electricity demand for the nation of 170 million people, grappling with the fuel crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict.\n\nMd Zahedul Hasan, the managing director of the state-owned Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh, perceives the complex as the realization of a decades-long aspiration to introduce nuclear power into the country. The plant's first reactor is slated for activation by year-end, with the second unit operational within a year, according to Hasan.\n\nThe construction, executed in collaboration with Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has also engendered an unusual Russian enclave within rural Bangladesh. Thousands of Russian engineers have dedicated years to its construction, accompanied by a residential complex, shops, and eateries catering to their needs. Inhabitants converse in both Bengali and Russian, and some eateries serve borscht alongside local fare.\n\nAlexander Vladimirovich Skvortsov, a Russian installation technician, chose Rooppur over Turkey, relocating there with his family in 2024. He recounted his initial encounter with the construction site, marveling at the magnitude of work ahead on this monumental project, stating that Rooppur profoundly transformed his life.\n\nThe project has also catalyzed the local economy. Md Emon Khan, a 28-year-old who previously worked in a garment factory in Dhaka, now sells fruits and vegetables to the workers at the plant. He remarked that he speaks a bit of Russian, enabling communication with the Russian workers, and both parties share a common language.\n\nOfficials assert that stringent safety protocols have been adhered to, incorporating lessons from prior nuclear mishaps into the project. Standing near a radiation monitoring tower and an alarm post, 15-year-old Mohammad Nafiz expressed little apprehension, noting that he and his peers aspire to secure employment at the plant post-engineering graduation.\n\nHowever, sentiments are not unanimous. Md Yunus Ali, an 80-year-old resident living 15 minutes from the plant, expressed lingering opposition to its establishment in the densely populated region. He recounted a compressor test conducted recently, which triggered a significant bang, startling even the sleeping children. Ali, a retired paper mill worker, expressed concern for the safety of his children and grandchildren, while acknowledging that he is no longer fearful for his own life.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}