Nuclear actor: Rosatom to launch nuclear power plant in Bangladesh by mid-2026
The launch of the first power unit of the Ruppur NPP in Bangladesh is scheduled for the first half of 2026, Rosatom told Izvestia. Initially, it was assumed that this would happen later — before the end of this year. In conditions of acute shortage of natural resources, the development of nuclear generation is an alternative step for the local economy. In particular, it will reduce dependence on coal imports from India. At the same time, after the February parliamentary elections, which ended a period of political turbulence, Moscow and Dhaka had the opportunity to expand their partnership. We are talking about projects in the gas sector and solar energy.
Nuclear power plant launch in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated Asian countries with a fast—growing economy and industry, which dictates a strong need for stable electricity generation. In these conditions, the project of the first nuclear power plant "Ruppur", which is being built by Rosatom, is critically important for the country. Initially, it was assumed that its first power unit would be launched before the end of 2026, but the state corporation adjusted its forecast to take into account the high pace of work.
— The physical launch of the first power unit of the Ruppur NPP is scheduled for the first half of 2026. We are in the process of obtaining the necessary licenses," Rosatom told Izvestia.
Russian Ambassador to the republic Alexander Khozin, in an interview with Izvestia, also confirmed that the physical launch is expected in the coming months, and no delays are expected. According to him, the commissioning has been completed, all the necessary documentation is available, and people are ready to start work.
"Everything indicates that it won't be long before the launch of the first power unit," he said.
The project is being implemented through an intergovernmental export loan from the Russian Federation. Moscow covers about 90% of the project cost with a loan of up to $11.38 billion. Despite the sanctions pressure, the parties managed to build a financing system: special banking mechanisms are used to service the debt.
Bangladesh's interest in nuclear energy is due to the extremely difficult situation with energy resources in the country. Bangladesh's economy has been developing rapidly in recent years, but it is mainly based on light industry, Ilya Spector, a senior researcher at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University, told Izvestia.
— Cheap electricity is critically important for the country: Bangladesh has practically no own hydrocarbon reserves, so nuclear energy is a strategically important area for the economy. In fact, there is no alternative," the expert emphasized.
According to Transparency International Bangladesh, the total installed capacity in Bangladesh is about 28.6 GW, while the share of renewable sources remains insignificant — only 4.6%. The traditional reliance on its own gas generation is currently faltering due to a shortage of raw materials. Meanwhile, Moscow can help Dhaka here too.
— There have been no agreements with the new government of Bangladesh in the gas sector yet. However, during contacts with the embassy, the Bangladeshi side expressed interest in such joint projects," Alexander Khozin added.
The diplomat recalled that Gazprom International Limited has an impressive background in the republic: since 2012, it has designed and built about 20 appraisal, exploration and production wells at eight local fields. The implementation of these projects has increased the total gas production in the country by more than 10%.
Bilateral relations between Russia and Bangladesh
So far, resource shortages have forced Bangladesh to increase coal purchases and increase electricity imports from neighboring India. As of the beginning of 2026, India's contribution to the local energy sector has grown to 15.6%, and coal imports have reached 17.34 million tons per year.
With this in mind, the issue of ecology is coming to the fore for the country, which is inextricably linked to the need to move away from coal dependence. This is reflected in Bangladesh's renewable energy policy concept, approved in June 2025. The document sets a goal to accelerate the introduction of clean energy, namely, to increase the share of renewable sources to 20% of total energy consumption by 2030 and to 30% by 2041.
The implementation of such plans is made possible by the end of the period of political turbulence that began in the summer of 2024 with mass protests and a change of government. The parliamentary elections on February 12, 2026, which were won by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), returned political stability to the country, which should have a positive impact on the investment climate.
— Russian companies working in the field of solar energy have sent proposals to the Bangladeshi side on the implementation of joint initiatives. Now, with the arrival of a new government interested in implementing energy projects, the parties can begin concrete discussions," said the Russian Ambassador to the country.
In general, the prospects for cooperation between the two countries today go far beyond the energy sector. The republic remains Russia's second largest trading partner in South Asia, with a trade turnover of over $2 billion. The mutual benefits are obvious: Bangladesh exports textiles and ready-made clothes, and Moscow acts as a guarantor of the region's food security. In 2024-2025, Russia provided about 60% of all wheat imports to the country.
The attraction of labor resources is also becoming an important element of the partnership. According to Alexander Khozin, about 7,000 Bangladeshi citizens work in Russia today, working in a wide variety of fields, from agriculture to high—tech shipbuilding. They work at such large enterprises as the Velikiye Luki Meat Processing Plant, the Pskov Poultry Farm, the Livadia Repair and Shipbuilding Plant and the Amur Gas Chemical Complex. The mutual interest of businesses in hiring qualified personnel and the desire of employees themselves to find employment in the Russian Federation continue to grow, forming a solid foundation for long-term cooperation between the two countries.
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