A new shipment of uranium nuclear fuel for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Ishwardi, Pabna, arrived at the project site by road on Wednesday.
The convoy carrying the fuel entered the plant premises at around 10:03am on October 21 under tight security.
The Bangladesh Army led the security operation, supported by the Special Response Battalion (SRB), police and members of various intelligence agencies to ensure the convoy’s safe arrival.
The previous shipment of nuclear fuel was delivered to the Rooppur plant on October 3. That consignment was intended for the first unit’s refuelling and the second unit.
Nuclear fuel for the plant’s first unit was brought to Bangladesh in 2023. The fuel was loaded into the reactor in May this year, and electricity generated by the unit is expected to be connected to the national grid soon.
After a lengthy wait, a controlled nuclear fission reaction was successfully achieved at Rooppur, the country’s first nuclear power plant, on October 11. The start of the nuclear reaction in the first unit is considered a significant milestone in the plant’s commissioning process.
According to the plan, trial electricity supply to the national grid could begin next month if the necessary tests are completed successfully. The plant may initially supply around 300 megawatts of electricity. However, the timeline will depend on progress in technical testing and safety-related activities.
Construction of the power plant began in 2013. Its two units are designed to generate 1,200 megawatts each, giving the facility a total generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts. Built with Russian assistance, the project has an estimated cost of more than Tk 113,000 crore.
