B Mirror Report : The Ministry of Science and Technology has requested an additional Tk 50.88 billion allocation for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project under the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP), officials at the Planning Commission said.

The proposal was recently submitted to the Programming Division of the Planning Commission as the fiscal year nears its end.

Officials said the request was driven by a sharp increase in project costs, faster-than-expected construction progress and the depreciation of the local currency against foreign currencies.

According to the revised proposal, the RADP allocation for the project would rise from Tk 100.12 billion to Tk 151 billion, reflecting a 50.82 percent increase.

The entire additional allocation is tied to foreign project assistance, mainly financed through Russian loans under an intergovernmental agreement between Bangladesh and Russia.

If approved, the foreign loan component for the project would increase from Tk 96 billion to Tk 146.88 billion, marking a 53 percent rise. However, the government’s own contribution to the project will remain unchanged at Tk 4.12 billion.

Planning Commission officials said the proposal has been placed under the Special Development Assistance block in the RADP. The Economic Relations Division (ERD) has reportedly issued a no-objection to the proposed fund reallocation.

Officials added that the revision would not raise the overall foreign aid ceiling for the 2025-26 fiscal year, but rather redistribute existing foreign assistance among projects.

The additional funding request follows accelerated implementation of several key components of the nuclear power plant, with contractors reportedly achieving higher-than-anticipated progress milestones.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, approved in 2016, is being developed with Russian support and will consist of two separate units.

The first unit recently completed fuel loading this month as Bangladesh moves closer to entering the nuclear energy era.