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Saturday | November 07, 2026 | Dhaka

Rooppur uranium takes new route

Fresh fuel shipment bypasses usual route amid security concerns over Gazipur unrest
 Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent
 Published: 12:01 AM, 07 November 2026

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has received another consignment of uranium fuel for its second reactor unit from Russia, with the shipment transported to the project site through an alternative route for the first time amid security concerns over ongoing garment workers’ unrest in Gazipur.

The nuclear fuel arrived at the project premises at around 7:30 am on Friday (November 6) in a convoy of three specialised trucks, travelling through the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway, Padma Bridge, Faridpur, Rajbari and Kushtia under tight security provided by the Bangladesh Army and other law enforcement agencies.

K. B. M. Ruhul Quddus, site-in-charge of the Rooppur project, confirmed the arrival of the consignment.

He said the authorities had opted for an alternative transportation route for the first time, taking security concerns into account and seeking to avoid possible clashes amid the ongoing garment workers’ protests in Gazipur.

Instead of the conventional Dhaka-Tangail Highway and Bangabandhu Bridge route, the convoy travelled from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka through the Dhaka-Mawa Expressway, Padma Bridge, Bhanga in Faridpur, Rajbari, Kushtia and the Lalon Shah Bridge at Pakshi before reaching the project site. This route had not previously been used to transport uranium fuel to Rooppur.

With the latest consignment, five uranium shipments have so far reached the project site, including two additional shipments for the first reactor unit and three for the second.

Previously, uranium-carrying convoys travelled from Dhaka airport along the Dhaka-Tangail Highway, crossing the Bangabandhu Bridge before passing through Banpara in Natore and Dashuria in Ishwardi, Pabna, to reach the project premises.

Earlier, Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom announced that 163 uranium fuel assemblies for the second unit would be transported to Bangladesh through seven cargo flights.

Another 48 assemblies required for refuelling the first unit were scheduled to arrive in two additional cargo shipments.

The nuclear fuel is expected to reach Bangladesh in nine consignments altogether.

Built with Russian technology, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant comprises two VVER-1200 reactor units.

The first unit has already entered the ‘Power Start-up Stage-C’ phase following approval from the Chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) on October 29.

At this stage, the reactor’s power output will be gradually increased to assess the performance of various plant systems and equipment, including the turbine-generator, electrical installations, operational systems and safety mechanisms.

Following the successful completion of the required tests, the generator of the first unit will be connected to the national power transmission grid, a process known as ‘synchronisation’.

Under the project timeline, the authorities are targeting an initial supply of around 300 megawatts of electricity from the first unit to the national grid on a trial basis in December.

However, the proposed timeline will depend on meeting regulatory requirements and securing the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.