Bangladesh joins global nuclear club

Bangladesh is moving closer to becoming a nuclear power-producing country with commissioning activities under way at the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s first nuclear facility.

The development was highlighted by a senior Russian nuclear official as a major step in Bangladesh’s efforts to expand its energy capacity and advance its technological capabilities.

Andrey Timonov, Director of the Communications Department of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, said construction of Rooppur’s first power unit had been completed in cooperation with Bangladeshi partners and that commissioning operations began this summer.

He made the remarks at a plenary session titled “Russia’s Image in International Media” on Wednesday (16 September), held as part of the Media Stream programme at the International Festival of Youth (IFY-2026) in Yekaterinburg.

“Rosatom stands at the forefront of global nuclear technology, delivering world-class solutions at every stage of the production cycle – a position reinforced by our extensive international footprint.

This year, Rosatom has completed the construction of the first power unit in the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, together with our Bangladeshi partners. Commissioning operations at the unit began this summer,” Timonov said.

He said the project was intended not only to help meet Bangladesh’s growing energy requirements but also to support its broader technological development.
“We are witnessing the emergence of a new nuclear power, in the peaceful sense of this word.

The project is designed not only to address the country’s energy needs, but also to give a powerful impetus for its further development, to enable the Republic to complete the journey of technological development in years rather than decades, as has been the case in other countries,” he said.

Nuclear ambitions
Timonov said Bangladesh’s move into nuclear power represented a significant change from the situation a decade ago.

“I have visited Bangladesh many times, and I am completely captivated by it – the beautiful nature, the wonderful people. Of course, the country is developing. Of course, the country has a very complex history,” he said.

“Just ten years ago, there could be no talk of nuclear energy in their country. And today we welcome it as a new nuclear power,” he added.

He also pointed to growing interest among Bangladeshi students in nuclear education, saying more young people were seeking opportunities to study nuclear technology both in Russia and Bangladesh.

According to Timonov, the idea of establishing a nuclear power programme in Bangladesh dates back several decades to the Soviet era.

“For the first time, the idea of building a nuclear power plant in the republic was raised back in the days of the Soviet Union, when the then-head of the Republic approached Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev with this request,” he said.

He said the Rooppur project could help Bangladesh accelerate technological development while addressing part of its long-term energy needs.

“We went there, it seemed, to build a power plant – but in reality, we built a symbol of national pride. We built an object that the entire country is proud of,” Timonov said.

International exposure
The comments came during IFY-2026, which was held in Yekaterinburg from 11 to 17 September under the motto “Follow Your Dream”.

The festival received more than 113,000 applications from around the world and brought together 10,000 participants from 191 countries, according to a press release.

Bangladesh was represented by around 90 delegates at the event.
The Rooppur project, being developed with Russian cooperation, is expected to add nuclear generation to Bangladesh’s electricity mix as the country seeks to diversify its energy sources and strengthen long-term power supply.

With commissioning activities now under way at Unit-1, Bangladesh is entering a new phase of its nuclear power programme, although the plant’s commercial operation will depend on the completion of the remaining regulatory, testing and commissioning processes.