Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Begins Fuel Loading

Bangladesh is set to become the world’s 33rd country to generate electricity using nuclear energy. The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has officially begun fuel loading at Unit-1, marking a historic milestone for the nation.

The Rooppur project is Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure initiative. It features two units, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, contributing to a total generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts. Around 300 megawatts of electricity is expected to be supplied to the national grid on a trial basis by August.

Full-scale commercial generation may take up to 10 months after trial generation begins. The plant is projected to meet 10-12 percent of Bangladesh’s electricity demand, enhancing the country’s energy security.

However, Bangladesh faces challenges in its tax policy. The tax-to-GDP ratio has hovered near 7% in recent years, one of the lowest in Asia. The total tax take is roughly $35-40 billion annually.

Potential revenue from new tax measures:

• A targeted inheritance or net-wealth levy could raise roughly $1.5-1.7 billion a year.
• This additional revenue could support infrastructure projects like Rooppur.
• Yet, inheritance tax remains unpopular almost everywhere it exists.

The International Monetary Fund estimates that Bangladesh’s per capita GDP will be higher than India’s by 2026. Currently, Bangladesh’s per capita GDP is nearly twice that of Assam.

Officials have not confirmed when full-scale operations will begin at Rooppur. The next significant milestone will occur when trial generation starts later this year.