Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate on Thursday the main construction work of the much-awaited Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), the maiden nuclear plant of the country.

‘Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will officially launch the main construction work of the plant at 11:00am tomorrow at Rooppur in Iswardi of northern Pabna district,’ said the Ministry of Science and Technology on Wednesday.

‘All necessary steps have been taken for the inauguration of the first concrete pouring ceremony,’ the sources said, adding that the premier will be joined by Alexey Likhachev, director general of Russia’s state atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, and government high-ups from both countries.

The Rooppur plant is expected to add 2,400MW of electricity to the national grid by 2024, helping the country meeting an increasing demand for electricity.

The mega project is being implemented by the state-run Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) under the Science and Technology Ministry, with financial, technical and technological support given by Russia through its state nuclear agency, Rosatom.

The BAEC and Russian company, JSC Atomstroyexport, signed a general contract for construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on December 25 in 2015.

BAEC Chairman Md Monirul Islam and Vice President of Atomstroyexport Vladimir N Savuskhin signed the contract on behalf of their respective organisations.

Atomostroyexport, the contractor appointed by Russia’s state-owned atomic power body , Rosatom, will construct the NPP at a cost of $12.65 billion, out of which, $10.1 billion has been fixed as base price, $1 billion for soil stabilisation and further cost, and the remaining $1.65 billion for price escalation.

On December 15 in 2015, the government finalised the amount for the biggest-ever investment project in the country’s history by inking an initial agreement with Russia.

Earlier in January 2013, an inter-governmental agreement was signed for the provision of a $500 million Russian loan to finance engineering design, site development and personnel training. On November 2, 2011, Bangladesh signed a deal with Russia’s state-owned nuclear giant Rosatom to construct the nuclear plant.

Russia will provide all assistance under the agreement for setting up the plant, including providing the fuel and taking back the used fuel.

A total of 262 acres of land has been acquired to set up two units of the plant with a capacity of 2,400-MW.

On October 2, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at Iswardi in Pabna.