Bangladesh will enter the nuclear club in October

Swapan Kumar Kundu, Ishwardi (Pabna) :
Rooppur Nuclear Power Project Authority said that Bangladesh will be able to bring nuclear fuel (uranium) in October itself. Bangladesh will join the nuclear club of the world when the nuclear fuel (uranium) comes and storage is completed. In the year 2024, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is now in the process of producing electricity from nuclear power. And that’s why nuclear fuel or uranium is coming to the country in October. Despite the delay in the construction schedule due to the corona epidemic, Ukraine war and global economy, there is no possibility of increase in the cost i.e. the contract price in this project, which is the largest in the country from the financial and technical point of view. After the installation of heavy machinery in the project, preparations for energy management are now underway.
Three quarters of the construction work has been completed, the project officials said.
Abandoned Baluchar in Rooppur of Ishwardi is gradually becoming prosperous due to the successful implementation of Mega Development. As a new chapter in the story of possibilities and capabilities, Rooppur of Ishwardi in Pabna district is now spreading the name of Bangladesh. Nuclear power generation was planned and started half a century ago during Bangabandhu’s rule in this land. The nuclear power plant of Bangabandhu’s dream is now visible. Preparations are underway in two units for power generation with a capacity of 1,200 MW. Domestic and foreign engineers are working day and night to reach the construction destination.
Meanwhile, the Project Director said that the ancillary work will be completed by next June. Shaukat Akbar said that the two VVER 1,200 type third generation reactors funded by Russia will provide electricity to Bangladesh at a relatively low price safely for hundreds of years. At the same time, the country will also rise to a new level of technology use. He said that all the civil construction works including reactor building, turbine building, optional reactor building have been completed. Now we have different types of final tasks like coloring i.e. this part of civil work is left. We have already started the pre-commissioning work. We have also carried out flushing in open reactor conditions. Gradually moving towards commissioning work. From the day the nuclear fuel arrives in Bangladesh, is brought to the project area and stored, Bangladesh will be deemed to have entered the nuclear club, that is, to have owned the nuclear fuel. We will complete the graduation of our nuclear club on that day. He said that day is not far, next October. PD also said, for the first time, we have built our own side infrastructure according to international requirements and we have to bring and keep fuel by fulfilling the obligations of the International Atomic Energy Agency ‘Regarding Safety and Security’ and ‘Safeguard’.
Dr. Shaukat said, all stakeholders of the country, international stakeholders, stakeholders of IEA have collectively reached the decision that considering all the circumstances, we will start restarting the reactor by September 2024. The project is being implemented keeping in mind the idea of producing electricity evenly for the next 100 years from this power plant.
Regarding the cost of the project, he said, the contract executed for the implementation of Rooppur nuclear power project is fixed price.
He said that with the increase in construction time, there is no possibility of increase in project cost i.e. contract price.