FROM PAGE 2

sides were starting the discussion of new projects.

Bangladesh expressed a “strong interest” in the construction of two more power units at Rooppur NPP site, he said, adding that the possibility of constructing a multi-purpose high power research reactor was also being reviewed.

But after signing the trade deal with the US, if Bangladesh pursues additional units now, the agreement could restrict its choice of suppliers.

If Russian and Chinese options are effectively excluded, the economics shift. Western vendors are costlier, financing terms are less favourable, and delivery timelines are historically uneven.

A constitutional issue regarding the deal also lingers. Whether the US trade agreement requires parliamentary ratification -- or could be rejected -- remains unclear. Given its long-term implications for Bangladesh’s energy sovereignty, the absence of legislative scrutiny would be contentious.

Bangladesh, a country of 170 million people, suffers chronic electricity shortages that hamper industrialisation and depress living standards. While it is trying to industrialise and reduce reliance on costly fossil fuel imports, restricting access to cheaper suppliers will raise the cost of that transition.

For now, as Prof Tamim suggests, the approach is to “wait and watch how these diplomatic and legal constraints affect existing and future nuclear projects”.

The current units may be safe. The future of the programme is far less certain.