DHAKA (AFP) – Bangladesh and Russia signed a deal Wednesday which could lead to construction of the first civilian nuclear power plant in the electricity-starved South Asian nation, an official said.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on peaceful use of nuclear energy, which officials said was the first step toward construction of a plant.
“We've had approaches from other countries. We're looking into safety and cost and then we'll decide which country will build the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh,” power minister spokesman Afrazur Rahman told AFP.
China and South Korea have also made pitches to build Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant, according to Bangladeshi media reports.
“If it goes ahead, the plant would have a capacity of 600 to 1,000 megawatts,” Rahman said.
With the country badly affected by power outages, the Awami League-led government of Sheikh Hasina, which took power in January, has ordered that talks for building nuclear power plants be accelerated.
In 2007, Bangladesh received approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the global nuclear watchdog, to set up a nuclear power plant for peaceful use.
Years of under-investment mean state-owned power plants generate only 3,500 megawatts of electricity a day in Bangladesh, whereas demand is 6,000 megawatts and growing at 500 megawatts a year due to increasing industrialization.
Power outages are frequent, particularly in the summer months from April to October, when supply is diverted to farms for irrigation.
A key election promise made by Hasina, who holds a three-quarters majority in parliament, was to increase the power supply.
Experts say Bangladesh's gas reserve are also fast depleting, forcing the country to look for alternative sources of energy.
The country is already a signatory of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.-