The cost of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna has risen by Tk 13,386 crore due largely to the sharp depreciation of taka against US dollar.

Additional expenses for civil works, equipment imports, technical consultancy, safety upgrades, environmental monitoring and cyber-security have also contributed to the increase, officials said.

According to project documents, the revision reflects an 11.84 percent rise in total expenditure, taking the overall project cost to Tk 126,479 crore under the first revised proposal.

The project’s original cost, approved in 2016, was Tk 113,093 crore. Although Russia’s loan amount remains unchanged at USD 11.38 billion, the taka equivalent has increased from Tk 91,040 crore to Tk 104,004 crore because of currency depreciation. Of the cost escalation, Tk 12,964 crore stems from exchange rate changes alone.

By June 2025, the project will have spent USD 8.29 billion at an exchange rate of 80 taka per dollar. For the remaining USD 3.09 billion to be spent over the next three years, the revised estimate uses the 12 October 2025 exchange rate of Tk 122 per dollar.

Government funding has also increased slightly from Tk 22,053 crore to Tk 22,475 crore.
Due to rising costs and implementation delays, the project’s completion deadline has been extended from December 2025 to June 2028. The revised proposal submitted by the Ministry of Science and Technology is now under review at the Planning Commission, which will hold an evaluation meeting on 11 November.

Officials said pandemic-related disruptions, the Russia-Ukraine war and the dollar shortage have slowed progress. As a result, the 90th Joint Coordination Committee meeting held on 3 June approved an extension.

Under the Bangladesh-Russia intergovernmental agreement, the project includes construction of two 1,200-MW units, equipment supply, training and fuel arrangements. As of August, physical progress stood at 74.24 percent. Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Russia’s Rosatom, is implementing the project.

Officials said the revision aims not only to account for higher expenses but also to align the project with updated global safety standards. The revised plan allocates more funding for training, monitoring units and consultancy services.

For example, the CD-VAT allocation has been raised by Tk 178.40 crore to Tk 378.40 crore. Several contractor-supplied components are scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.
Office equipment allocation has been increased from Tk 37.73 crore to Tk 50 crore, and the vehicle fleet budget from Tk 67.15 crore to Tk 100 crore to meet updated requirements.

An additional 336 contracts related to equipment, fuel supply and spent-fuel management have been added. Extra allocations of Tk 10.26 crore have been proposed for staff overtime, committee allowances and administrative tasks.

The project, being built with Russian assistance, is expected to supply around 10 percent of the country’s electricity demand once both units come online, said Sama Bilbao, Director General of the World Nuclear Association.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow’s VDNKh Park, she said the first unit is scheduled to start operations by the end of this year or early next year.

She said work at Rooppur is progressing swiftly and urged other power-deficient countries to follow Bangladesh’s approach.

Kirill Komarov, a senior Russian official, said Bangladesh is emerging as a frontrunner in adopting nuclear energy to achieve sustainable power.
He added that Russia is intensifying diplomatic engagement with Malaysia, Vietnam and other South Asian countries to expand nuclear cooperation.

Under the revised schedule, the first 1,200-MW unit will begin commercial generation in 2026, followed by the second unit later. Originally, commissioning was planned for December 2024 and December 2025 respectively.
Fuel loading for trial operations of the first unit is expected this December, with partial generation at roughly 30 percent capacity by March 2026. Full output from both units will eventually reach 2,400 MW.