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Sunday | October 04, 2026 | Dhaka

Uranium reaches Rooppur safely

Tight security as fuel shipment arrives for N-plant
 Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent
 Published: 12:52 AM, 04 October 2026

A uranium shipment for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant reached the project site in Ishwardi, Pabna, on Saturday under tight security, with armed forces and law-enforcement agencies maintaining a special security cordon throughout its journey from Dhaka.

The shipment arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka from Russia at 11:45pm on Friday and was transported by road to Rooppur at 7:15am on Saturday under special security arrangements.

The convoy entered the Rooppur project area at around 12:20pm after crossing the Bangabandhu Bridge and passing through Bonpara in Natore and Dashuria in Pabna.

Rooppur Project Director Dr Kabir Hossain and Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) Managing Director Dr Zayedul Hassan, along with other project officials, received the shipment at the site.

Sources said the special cargo aircraft carrying the nuclear fuel reached Bangladesh after stopovers in Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The shipment was originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday and was later expected on Friday afternoon before reaching Dhaka late Friday night.

The uranium was transported to Rooppur under strict security provided by the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies.

Traffic along the Pabna-Natore-Kushtia highway was temporarily restricted to facilitate the safe movement of the convoy.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Ishwardi Circle) Pranab Kumar said a special security cordon had been maintained along the route by Pabna District Police and other law-enforcement agencies.

Traffic was suspended from around 11:45am to 12:15pm and restored after the convoy reached the project site, he said.

According to the project plan, nine more cargo flights are scheduled to transport 48 additional fuel assemblies for Unit-1 and 163 for Unit-2 by December. Of the nine shipments, seven will be for Unit-2 and two for refuelling Unit-1.

The two units of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant have a combined generation capacity of 2,400MW.

Although fuel loading of Unit-1 has been completed, its commissioning has been delayed by technical issues, particularly those involving the Pressure Operated Relief Valve (PORV/POSV). NPCBL recently confirmed the successful completion of a 16 MPa high-pressure test of the safety valve.

Several tests and commissioning activities are still required before Unit-1 can begin supplying electricity to the national grid.

The latest uranium delivery, along with progress in resolving the PORV-related issue, marks an important stage in preparations for commissioning the country’s first nuclear power plant, officials said.