Russia to take Rooppur nuke plant waste
Russia will take back the nuclear wastes of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and dispose those in their country, a top government official said after the cabinet meeting yesterday.
“Russia will take back wastes of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in line with an agreement signed with them,” cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said while briefing reporters after weekly cabinet meeting.
The agreement was signed in March 2017.
A company would be formed to oversee disposal of all other radioactive wastes.
At the meeting, the cabinet approved the draft of “Radioactive Waste and Used Nuclear Energy Management National Policy” with a provision that different nuclear waste-producing institutions, including hospitals, will have to pay for the disposal of their radioactive wastes.
The meeting was held at the at the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom is constructing a 2,400 megawatt nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna and the first two units of the plant are expected to be operational in 2023.
“The meeting has approved the draft of the policy on radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel management in line with the guidelines set by the International Atomic Energy Agency,” the cabinet secretary said.
He said that a company by the name of Radioactive Waste Management Company would be established under Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission to oversee the process of radioactive waste disposal.
The policy was formulated to prevent possible harm from radioactive wastes and nuclear energy, he said.
The cabinet also gave the final approval to the draft of the Bangladesh Engineering Research Council Bill 2019 to promote engineering research and ensure the standard of technology for their pragmatic uses in the country.
A 10-member governing body headed by a chairman will run the council, he said.
Besides, the Cabinet gave approval to the draft of the Bangladesh Lighthouse Bill, 2019, an updated version of the existing Lighthouse Act, 1927, said Shafiul.
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