China Proposes 100MW SMR Plant in Mongla

Bangladesh is considering a new nuclear technology option as China has proposed a 100-megawatt small nuclear power plant near the planned China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone in Bagerhat. If implemented, the project could become Bangladesh’s first nuclear power project based on Small Modular Reactor technology. Its primary purpose would be to meet the economic zone’s electricity demand, while surplus power could be sold to Bangladesh and supplied to the national grid.

Bangladesh is currently exploring options to expand its nuclear power programme beyond the 2,400MW Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which is being built with Russian assistance. The development also comes shortly after Bangladesh and the United States signed a memorandum on civil nuclear cooperation in New York on Friday, September 25. The agreement focuses on the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear safety, security, safeguards and non-proliferation.

Small Modular Reactors, or SMRs, are designed to be smaller and more flexible than conventional large nuclear power plants. China, Russia and the United States are among the countries developing and advancing the technology. China’s 100MW-class ACP100, also known as Linglong One, is one of the major examples of land-based SMR technology.

Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said Bangladesh is initially interested in SMR technology and is discussing the option with several countries. “We need to learn more about SMRs. We are interested in them. But we will make a decision after understanding them better,” he said.

The minister, however, confirmed that the specific Chinese proposal for an SMR in Mongla had not yet reached him. The proposal is therefore still at the discussion stage and has not become an approved project.

The proposal was discussed during a meeting between the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority and a Chinese delegation in the second week of August, according to sources. Eight representatives from Bangladesh and eight officials from the state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas Limited attended the meeting. Four Chinese experts presented different aspects of SMR technology and sought Bangladesh’s position on implementing such a project.

An official who attended the meeting said the preliminary discussions included the possibility of providing land to Bangladesh free of cost. The government may also consider waiving import duties on machinery and other equipment required for the plant. Bangladesh proposed employing local workers in the project to build expertise in SMR technology. It also proposed that China construct a bridge over the Mongla River.

An official of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority said the proposed plant could help meet the electricity demand of the economic zone. He said, “We will not be able to supply electricity there [to the Chinese Economic Zone]. So, if China sets up an SMR, it will benefit both countries.”

The Mongla site has previously been part of changing investment plans. In 2015, during the Awami League government, Bangladesh signed a memorandum with India to develop an economic zone on 110 acres near Mongla Port under an Indian line of credit. The interim government later cancelled the agreement after the Indian company failed to complete the land development work within the stipulated two-year period.

After the BNP government came to power, Dhaka and Beijing signed a new memorandum during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to China in June. The agreement provides for developing the China-Bangladesh Mongla Port Economic Zone on the same 110-acre site. On Thursday, June 25, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation signed the memorandum for the project.

The Mongla SMR proposal is separate from another Chinese financial proposal related to a nuclear power project. The science and technology minister had earlier said several US companies had held discussions with the government but had not submitted financial proposals. He also said a Chinese company had submitted a financial offer, but the government considered it unusually high. That offer is unrelated to the proposed Mongla SMR project.
//DBTech/TNE/SMP/MVNO//