RNPP operation may get delayed by a year

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on Thursday said the commissioning of the first unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is likely to be delayed by six months to one year.

“The delay is due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the minister told reporters after visiting the RNPP construction site in Pabna’s Ishwardi Upazila.

RNPP Project Director (PD) Md Shaukat Akbar said at the briefing, “The first unit of the 2,400 MW RNPP was supposed to start supplying electricity by December 2023.

“However, due to the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict, that time frame has been pushed to the mid to end of 2024.”

When asked about recent media reports claiming that a Russian ship carrying RNPP project materials, currently under US sanctions, was denied permission to dock in Bangladesh, the PD said, “This is a matter of the foreign ministry. They will be able to address it better.”

Russian Federation’s nuclear power equipment and service exporter Atomstroyexport, under the Rosatom, is implementing the Rooppur project as the general designer and contractor. The project will host two nuclear power units, each with a 1,200 MW capacity.