Preparation work for the refuelling machine in the reactor compartment of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP)’s first unit has been successfully concluded.
The refuelling machine is used to load fresh nuclear fuel into the reactor core and remove used fuel. This 60-tonne machine which is located above the fuel pool and reactor pit features some mechanical components such as a bridge, a trolley, and a service area.
The preparation work includes a control and monitoring system, enabling remote control of the nuclear fuel's fuelling, refuelling, and installation processes and loading dummy fuel into the reactor core. Loading the dummy fuel process marks the final step. This process will take place within a few days, says the project sources.
JSC Atomtechenergo’s Bangladesh branch Director Denis Mazlov, spoke about the importance of refuelling machines to ensure the nuclear power plant’s safe operation. The machine's work with the fuel assembly needs to be extremely precise and any permissible error must not exceed two millimetres, he noted.
Atomtechenergo specialises in nuclear power plant commissioning, power generation, transmission, and distribution facility construction and Rosatom's Electric Power Division - a specialist of JSC Atomtechenergo has prepared the refuelling machine for fuel loading, said RNPP officials.
This project being the most expensive in Bangladesh's history has been largely financed by Russia. The construction of the two-unit nuclear power plant in Rooppur is almost complete with Russian technical assistance.
Rosatom's Engineering Division is serving as the project's general contractor and designer. Each unit, based on the VVER-1200 reactor, will have a production capacity of 1,200 MW.
Initially, the first and second units were scheduled to produce 1,200 MW each in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
However, the project faced delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Western sanctions on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Recently, RNPP's Project Director, Zahedul Hassan, announced that the first unit will likely start generating electricity by early 2025.
