Nuclear fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) will arrive in the country by the end of September, said Science and Technology Minister Architect Yafesh Osma on Tuesday.
“Hopefully, the first unit (1200 MW) of RNPP will be commissioning next year”, he said while attending the 67th session of the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austrian capital Vienna on Tuesday.
As per the project plan, the first unit of the 2,400MW nuclear power plant was expected to commence commercial operation in 2023 which was delayed due to various complications.
The $13 billion project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission with the technical and financial support of Russia.
The nuclear fuel (uranium), which is sourced from Russia, will be transported in a specially designed container aboard a dedicated aircraft to Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
The Bangladesh Army will supervise the transportation of containers of uranium by road to Rooppur, located in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will oversee the entire operation to ensure its compliance with safety protocols.
In his written speech, the minister said “We are anticipating that the power generation from the first unit will be added to the national grid by the next year and the second unit will become operational, a year later. This milestone will mark Bangladesh’s entry into the league of countries with nuclear power technology.”
Yeafesh Osman said with the Rooppur NPP, Bangladesh maintaining the highest standards of safety. After getting fully operational, the two units will generate 2400 MW of electricity, he said.
The science minister thanked Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) for their commitment to this project despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and global political disputes.
