Fifth shipment of uranium reached Rooppur
Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :
The fifth consignment of ‘Fresh Nuclear Fuel’ or Uranium of the first unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Project has successfully reached Rooppur in Ishwardi from Dhaka under strict security.
The fifth shipment of uranium from Dhaka crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge and reached Rooppur project area via Banpara in Natore and Dashuriya in Ishwardi in Pabna.
Friday when the car fleet entered the project area at half past nine, the project director Dr. Shaukat Akbar and project staff welcomed the fleet.
Alak Chakraborty, Head of Finance and Administration Department of Rooppur Nuclear Project, told The New Nation that uranium arrived in Dhaka by special plane like the previous four consignments from Russia around 11 am on Thursday (October 26).
The consignment left Dhaka by road and successfully reached Rooppur in Ishwardi in the early morning of Friday.
Arobindo Sarkar, officer-in-charge of Ishwardi police station, said that the fourth consignment of uranium reached Rooppur by road at around 9:30 in the morning through maximum security.
The road was closed to other vehicles for a while when the fleet of vehicles carrying uranium arrived on the road.
Before this, the first shipment of uranium on September 29, the second on October 6, the third on October 13 and the fourth shipment of uranium on October 20 successfully reached Rooppur in Ishwardi from Dhaka.
Out of the total seven consignments, two more consignments will arrive in the country in phases.
In the initial phase, two units with a capacity of 2,400 MW will generate electricity continuously for a year with a total of seven consignments of fuel.
According to the agreement, Russia will supply the fuel used for power generation in Rooppur for free for three years. Fuel is not required daily.
Once the fuel has been loaded, the fuel should be changed once a year (one-third) for the first three years and every half year thereafter.
As a result, there will be no such crisis here as other centers of the country are closed due to fuel.
Russia has been sending continuous shipments of fuel to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply.
About 12.65 billion dollars are being spent on the construction of Rooppur nuclear power plant in Ishwardi, Pabna, the most talked about and biggest project of the country.
Bangladesh government will give 10 percent of this money.
Russia is providing 90 percent as loan assistance.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being implemented through an agreement between the Government of Bangladesh and the Rashan Federation.
It is the first and only nuclear power plant in the country.
