Russia is likely to provide Bangladesh with a major chunk of the fund required for installation of the proposed Rooppur nuclear power plant. Russia has accepted a Bangladesh proposal for turn-key method in engineering, procurement and construction management of the project. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission chairman on Thursday told New Age that Russian had assured the government of providing 80 to 85 per cent of the total expenditure of the project as loan. ‘It will be a state loan and an agreement will be signed between the two governments on the loan. Now we will have to send a formal proposal to Russia,’ he said after returning to Dhaka after a five-day visit to Moscow. An 11-member delegation led by state minister for science and technology Yafes Osman visited Russia to discuss and ink deals on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. Firoz said that on Monday the two countries signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear and radioactive safety regulation for peaceful use of atomic energy. The agreement was signed in Moscow between the ministry of science and technology of Bangladesh and the federal environmental, industrial and nuclear supervision service of Russia. The deal was inked as the first sectoral agreement between the two countries after they had signed an inter-governmental agreement on November 3 last year on installation of a 2,000 megawatts nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna. Firoz told New Age that under the agreement the BAEC’s regulatory body and the Russian regulatory body, FEINSS, would jointly deal with the regulation and safety related issues, including licensing involved with the Rooppur nuclear power plant. A proposal for formation of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority is pending with parliament for enactment. To a question Firoz told New Age that after enactment of the proposal, BAERA, as regulatory authority, would handle the issues. During the visit to Russia, the delegation discussed, among other things, survey related issues, mode of finance for implementation of the Rooppur nuclear power plant and a memorandum of understanding on human resource development in the nuclear power sector. BAEC’s Russian counterpart, the state atomic energy corporation agency ROSATOM gave the draft of a memorandum of understanding for human resource development in Bangladesh in the field of peaceful use of nuclear power. Firoz said that they would scrutinise the draft and send Bangladesh’s proposal in this regard. The delegation that visited Moscow included science and technology secretary Abdur Rab Hawladar, Geological Survey of Bangladesh director general Moonira Akhter Chowdhury, BAEC member Monirul Islam, project director Shawkat Akbar and director general for Europe at the ministry of foreign affairs Mohammad Riaz Hamidullah. Agencies concerned of two countries are yet to sign a number of sectoral deals, including finance, engineering procurement and construction management, fuel supply and removal of spent fuel. The rest of the delegation is scheduled to return today. Yafes on January 8 this year said that the work on installation of the $2.5 billion project would start by this year. The project’s first unit with a capacity of 1,000MW is planned to start operation by 2018 and the second unit by 2020. According to the inter-governmental agreement, Moscow will provide all assistance for construction, fuel supply, removal and management of spent fuel, formulation of legal and regulatory framework, infrastructure, human resources development and financial assistance.