Rooppur set to light up grid

Bangladesh’s first nuclear power facility, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, is expected to supply around 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid for the first time by the end of August, according to the government.

Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam disclosed the timeline in parliament on Sunday while responding to a question from lawmaker Md Mostafizur Rahman Babul.

The minister said the project has entered its commissioning and start-up phase, regarded as the final and most technically demanding stage before commercial electricity generation begins.

Unit-1 is currently undergoing Stage-B commissioning activities
following the commencement of fuel loading on 28 April.

Since then, engineers and technical specialists have been carrying out a series of critical procedures, including fuel installation within the reactor, boric acid addition, verification of safety systems, sub-criticality testing and other operational assessments.

The next phase will involve achieving reactor criticality, a key milestone in nuclear power generation, followed by integrated testing of control and protection systems and low-power operational trials.

According to the minister, the reactor’s output will be increased gradually during the testing process, initially reaching around 10 to 12 per cent of capacity before being raised further to between 35 and 40 per cent.

If all commissioning activities proceed as planned, the plant’s generator is expected to be synchronised with the national grid on the 114th day after fuel loading, in accordance with the contractor’s implementation schedule.

The initial grid connection would enable Unit-1 to deliver approximately 300MW of electricity, marking the first flow of nuclear-generated power into Bangladesh’s energy system and a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to diversify its energy mix and strengthen long-term energy security.

Once fully operational, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is expected to become a major source of baseload electricity, helping to meet growing demand and reduce dependence on conventional fossil-fuel-based generation.