BD, US plan new strategic pact on civil nuclear co-op

Bangladesh and the United States are working on a new strategic framework for cooperation in civil nuclear technology, covering nuclear power, advanced reactors, safety, regulation, research and a range of non-power applications.

The proposed Strategic Civil-Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) describes civil nuclear cooperation as an “important component” of the broader strategic relationship between Washington and Dhaka.

According to the draft, the two countries intend to explore cooperation involving existing and future US civil nuclear technologies, fuel, equipment and services. It also proposes support for future developments in Bangladesh’s civil nuclear programme, including advanced reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs).


The proposed cooperation would extend beyond electricity generation to areas including spent-fuel and radioactive-waste management, nuclear medicine, nutrition, agriculture, mining and research and development.

The draft also proposes cooperation in the development, operation and utilisation of nuclear research reactors and the peaceful use of radioisotopes in water-resource management, industry, healthcare and agriculture.

The proposed MoU would build on the 1981 Agreement for Cooperation between the United States and Bangladesh Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy. If signed, it would take effect upon signature and remain valid for five years, with automatic extensions for additional five-year periods unless either side notifies the other of its termination.

The agreement would not create legally binding rights or obligations under domestic or international law. Any activities under the MoU would remain subject to the respective national laws, regulations and export-control requirements of the two countries.

Bangladesh and the US are currently reviewing the draft. It was discussed at a meeting of senior Bangladeshi officials in Dhaka on August 9, chaired by Md Anwar Hossain, Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and other government agencies attended the meeting, according to the minutes.

The draft identifies several commercial and regulatory challenges that could emerge from the deployment of new nuclear technologies, including financing, localisation, development of domestic capabilities, nuclear liability and regulatory requirements for emerging technologies.

Nuclear safety and security feature prominently in the proposed framework. It says civil nuclear cooperation should comply with the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, safeguards and non-proliferation.

It also calls for cooperation between the two countries’ nuclear regulatory authorities in developing, maintaining and implementing regulatory frameworks, including capacity-building for effective and independent oversight.

Officials from Bangladesh’s Nuclear Safety and Physical Protection Cell raised the need to ensure that the country’s requirements for nuclear safety, security and physical protection were adequately reflected in the draft.

The proposed agreement also places emphasis on developing Bangladesh’s nuclear workforce through cooperation in education, training, human-capital development and public acceptance.

The framework would facilitate cooperation among government departments, ministries, regulators and agencies, as well as scientific, academic and research communities.

The draft further links civil nuclear cooperation with the broader strategic relationship between the two countries, noting potential benefits in areas including national security, energy security and cyber security.

It says both sides share an interest in deepening their strategic relationship to strengthen security and prosperity and enhance political and economic ties. The document also recognises nuclear cooperation as potentially important for Bangladesh’s energy security while providing ancillary benefits to US energy security.

“The draft should be examined further and sent through relevant government channels before finalisation,” the meeting agreed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Science and Technology were identified as key agencies to take the process forward.

“We are reviewing the progress of small modular reactors, but it is still at a preliminary stage for cooperation on a strategic civil nuclear pact with the US,” Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam told the media.

The draft states that any expansion of nuclear power, including through SMRs, should be undertaken responsibly and in accordance with the highest standards of safety, security and nuclear non-proliferation.