Hindustan Construction Co (HCC) on Wednesday announced that its joint venture (JV) with with MAX Group of Bangladesh has won a $110 million (Rs 737 crore) contract from Russia for the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.
An HCC statement here said the contract, awarded by state-run Atomstroyexport, the trading arm of Russian atomic energy corporation Rosatom, includes civil works of the turbine island for unit 1 of the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).
Rosatom are also the equipment suppliers and technical consultants for India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu whose first two units of 1,000 MW each have already been commissioned.
"HCC, in a joint venture with MAX Group, a construction company in Bangladesh, has been awarded $110 million (Rs 737 crore) contract by Russia's State Nuclear Company, JSC Atomstroyexport," the statement said.
"HCC's share in the JV is 40 per cent (USD 44 million/Rs 295 crore)," it added.
The Rooppur NPP will be equipped with two VVER reactors of 1,200 MW each, while the KNPP agreement envisages the construction of six reactors of the earlier generation VVER type of 1,000 MW capacity each.
Commenting on the development, HCC Group CEO Arjun Dhawan said a statement: "HCC has become the first Indian company to participate in the international civil nuclear market."
The statement noted that while India cannot participate directly in the construction of nuclear reactors abroad as it is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, Indian companies, however, can be involved in construction and installation works as well as in the supply of non-critical equipment.
India has recently signed an agreement with Bangladesh for civil nuclear cooperation, under which the former has extended expertise and support in the construction of the Ruppur NPP, which began last November.
--IANS
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