RNPP unlikely to be operational in December

Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :

Thongh Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is going to be commissioned this December the power plant cannot go into production as the grid (transmission) line is not ready. Top officials of the project said it will take another six months to complete all the preparations and go into trial production.
According to project sources, the construction of the main infrastructure including the furnace was completed a year ago. In October last year, the first shipment of fuel (uranium) from Russia reached Rooppur in five installments. But it is not possible to start power generation as the grid line is not ready. According to the new plan, the construction of the grid line of the first unit will be completed by March next year. And we have to wait a few more months to go into production.
Rooppur NPP project director Dr. Jahedul Hashan said that after the grid line is ready, several necessary tests must be carried out before going into production. After all the preparation and testing is done, trial production goes. He further said that two months will be required to load the fuel after completing various preliminary tests. Then another month to go into test production. If the grid is ready by March next year, it will be possible to go to the test trial in the third quarter i.e. in August. A year after the commissioning of the first unit i.e. by the end of 2026, the reactor of the second unit will be operational.
It is known that the three Indian contracting companies KEC International Limited, Transrail Lighting Limited and Larsen & Toubro Limited are building the transmission line under Bangladesh Power Grid Company.
The plan was to complete the construction of the transmission line by September this year and go into trial production in December.