Rooppur nuclear fuel arrives in Dhaka
A Russian aircraft carrying nuclear fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around 11:30 PM on Friday.
Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam confirmed the development while speaking to journalists on Friday afternoon.
He said the aircraft carrying fuel for the plant’s first unit had already left Russia and would reach Dhaka after a stop in India.
The minister said preparations had been completed to transport the uranium consignment to Rooppur after its arrival at the airport.
The Bangladesh Army will provide security during its transportation to the plant.
Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, said earlier that deliveries of nuclear fuel for Rooppur’s second unit would begin in October and continue through December. The fuel will be transported in several consignments by air.
According to project sources, additional fuel assemblies for both units are expected to arrive in multiple consignments during the period.
The first shipment of nuclear fuel for Rooppur Unit 1 arrived from Russia in September 2023. A total of 163 fuel assemblies were subsequently loaded into the reactor core in April-May this year.
Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, said that the complete supply of fuel will be delivered within December.
The total generation capacity of the two units at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is 2,400 megawatts. Although fuel loading in the first unit has been completed, the timeline for power generation experienced delays due to various complications.
While electricity generation was scheduled to begin this month, it could not take place due to a defect in the safety valve. A senior official of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) confirmed on Wednesday that repair work on the safety valve was completed successfully.
However, several more critical tests must be conducted before electricity generation can begin. If these tests prove successful, electricity generated from the first unit will be added to the national grid, while construction and commissioning activities for the second unit continue to progress.
