President seeks IAEA support for Rooppur nuclear project

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DHAKA, July 4, 2017 (BSS) -President M Abdul Hamid today sought necessary support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for successful implantation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project.

“Bangladesh is implementing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project to increase power production. All-out assistance of the IAEA is a must to implement the project successfully and ensure peaceful use of nuclear energy,” he said at a special convocation of Dhaka University at its Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban.

The convocation was arranged to confer the Doctor of Laws degree on IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano.

President Hamid said, “Despite being an agriculture-based country, industrialisation and international trade is advancing here. Besides, the use and demand of power and energy is on the rise keeping pace with the development of people’s lifestyle and industrialisation.”

The sources of oil and gas are declining gradually due to excessive demand and use of power and energy, he observed, adding, “Although country recorded some 4,942 megawatt electricity production in January, 2009, Bangladesh is now generating over 15,379 megawatt of electricity each day while it has set a target to generate 24,000 megawatt of power per day by 2021.”

About the risk and potential of nuclear energy, the President said there are mixed reactions too in Bangladesh about nuclear programme and nuclear power plant after the accident of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011.

The President, who is the Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, conferred the Doctor of Laws on IAEA Director General, mentioning his extensive experience in disarmament and non-proliferation diplomacy as well as nuclear energy issues. “I believe that it would be a bridge between IAEA and the University of Dhaka,” he said.

The people of Bangladesh are very grateful to IAEA for its constructive role in the country’s nuclear programme, he added.

At the outset of his speech, the President paid rich tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, martyred freedom fighters of 1971 Liberation War, Language Movement heroes and the martyrs of Dhaka University family who played a very significant and historic role in different democratic movements.

Describing the universities as a sacred place of higher education, the President said the authorities concerned must consider coping with the modern and latest technologies and must bring time-befitting changes in academic curriculums.

IAEA Director General Amano spoke as the convocation speaker. DU vice-chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Science and Technology Minister Architect Yafes Osman, members of parliament, diplomats, university pro-VCs, senate and syndicate members, and teachers of the university, among others, were present.