RNPP on track with safety checks

Highlighting the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s (RNPP) safety features, Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) Managing Director Dr Md Zahedul Hasan said its Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors differ fundamentally from the technologies used at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Equipped with advanced safety systems—including Double Containment, a Core Catcher, Passive Heat Removal System, Emergency Core Cooling System, Hydrogen Recombiners and Severe Accident Management Systems — the reactors incorporate lessons learned from past nuclear accidents and meet modern international safety standards.

His remarks come amid growing public discussion over the plant’s safety, commissioning process and operational readiness following recent media reports.

Science and Technology Adviser Fakir Mahbub Anam said the plant is expected to supply an initial 300 megawatts (MW) of electricity to the national grid by the end of August, with the first unit generating more than 1,000MW by December.

Dr Hasan said the first unit is expected to enter full commercial operation in early 2027, while the second unit is scheduled to begin commercial operation in early 2028.

Rejecting speculation that safety requirements are being overlooked, he said there had been “no compromise on safety” and there would be none in the future.

He explained that grid synchronisation is only one milestone in a lengthy and tightly regulated commissioning process.

Before synchronisation, hundreds of commissioning tests, safety verifications, system integration procedures, operator training activities and regulatory evaluations must be completed, with every stage requiring approval from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA).

Responding to reports claiming the plant is moving towards operation without completing mandatory safety checks, Dr Hasan said such assertions do not reflect reality. Each commissioning test follows predefined procedures and acceptance criteria established from the outset of the project. Test results are independently reviewed, and no subsequent stage can proceed until all requirements are fulfilled.

Dr Hasan said the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) is the project owner, while NPCBL is legally responsible for commissioning, operation, maintenance and eventual decommissioning. BAERA acts as the independent regulator, evaluating every stage of the project and issuing the necessary licences.

He added that BAERA has appointed international expert organisation VO Safety to independently assess key commissioning milestones, while Russia’s Concern Rosenergoatom (CREA) is assisting NPCBL with commissioning, operator training and knowledge transfer.

Russia’s regulator Rostechnadzor is providing technical support to BAERA, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is reviewing Bangladesh’s preparedness through peer review missions and technical assessments.

According to Dr Hasan, recent IAEA Test Pre-OSART, Pre-OSART and IPPAS missions, together with BAERA’s Comprehensive Regulatory Inspection and a joint self-assessment by BAEC, NPCBL and CREA, produced encouraging results.

Recommendations from the Test Pre-OSART and Pre-OSART missions have already been implemented, while work on the IPPAS recommendations is nearing completion. He also noted that the IAEA Deputy Director General recently visited Rooppur and praised the project’s preparedness.

Addressing concerns over manpower, Dr Hasan said Bangladesh has spent more than a decade building a skilled workforce.

Hundreds of engineers, reactor specialists, operators and radiation protection experts have received extensive training in Russia and elsewhere, while all operators have successfully completed BAERA’s licensing process.

On spent nuclear fuel, he said Bangladesh has already signed a Spent Fuel Take Back Agreement with Russia’s State Corporation Rosatom, while BAEC and TVEL have concluded a long-term framework agreement covering fuel supply throughout the plant’s operational life.

Spent fuel will initially be stored and cooled in the plant’s Spent Fuel Pool in accordance with IAEA safety standards before being managed under bilateral agreements and regulatory approvals.

Dr Hasan also dismissed concerns over future fuel supplies and operation and maintenance arrangements, saying long-term agreements are being finalised in line with international practice. He clarified that electricity tariffs and the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) are commercial matters unrelated to nuclear safety or commissioning.

He said the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) has completed the required transmission infrastructure and grid preparations, while emergency response exercises, firefighting drills and security drills have also been successfully conducted.

Describing the lengthy commissioning period as evidence of rigorous compliance rather than delay, Dr Hasan said every stage of the project would proceed only after all safety tests, regulatory reviews and approvals had been completed, reaffirming NPCBL’s commitment to the highest standards of safety, transparency and accountability.