Bangladesh aims to produce at least 2,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020 from two units of the proposed Rooppur plant and also to have nuclear energy account for 10 percent of its total power generation by that time, Bangladeshi state news agency BSS reports.

The agreement, signed Friday in Russia, calls for the transfer of materials, technologies, equipment and services to implement joint programs in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Under the agreement, Russia will be responsible for the design and construction of nuclear power and research reactors as well as supply nuclear fuel and take back spent fuel. Training for Bangladeshi staff on how to run and maintain the plants will take place in Russia.

The estimated cost of the project is $1.5 billion, with most of it to be provided domestically, officials said.

"We decided to engage the builder of the project on bilateral state-to-state basis instead of going for (a) time-consuming international bidding process," said an official with Bangladesh's Science and Information and Communication Technology Ministry.

The agreement calls for the project to be supervised by the governments of Bangladesh and Russia through a joint coordination committee.

Last May, the countries signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to enhance cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Bangladesh is in the grips of a serious energy crisis. The country produces up to 4,000 megawatts of electricity each day, falling short of the minimum daily demand of 6,000 megawatts, the power ministry says.

Bangladesh's electricity supply meets less than 75 percent of peak demand, a World Bank report shows. Only about 47 percent of households have access to electricity.

An editorial in Bangladesh's The Daily Star newspaper applauded the deal, calling it "a milestone" in the history of Dhaka-Moscow relations that "introduces a new dimension to bilateral cooperation in our part of the world" and "signifies a new direction in energy policy prioritization and diversification."

"With our acute need for power, not just for domestic consumption but, more crucially, for industrial purposes, the agreement reassures us about a way out of the woods," the editorial said. "More to the point, it is a sign that in its enlightened national interest, Bangladesh can and must strike deals with nations willing to do business with it in a cooperative manner and with full understanding of the principles governing relations between nations."

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