Bangladesh has entered a new phase of its nuclear energy journey as fuel loading began at Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), marking a key step toward commissioning the country’s first nuclear power facility.
The plant is being built under the general contractor and designer Engineering Division of State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom.
Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Fakir Mahbub Anam gave symbolic permission to load nuclear fuel into the first power unit of the Rooppur NPP on Tuesday, with Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev also present at the ceremony, said a Rosatom press release.
The fuel loading phase is part of the key commissioning stage of the unit.
Following this step, the reactor will be brought to the minimum controlled level (MCL), where a stable controllable power level is achieved, before gradually increasing output.
Subsequently, the project will move to the power start-up stage, during which electricity generated from the plant will be supplied to Bangladesh’s national grid, it said.
“Today Bangladesh has joined the club of the countries who use peaceful atom as a reliable source of sustainable development. Rooppur NPP will definitely become the most important element of the energy system of the country. For Rosatom, this project is another important step in developing peaceful nuclear power, strengthening friendly relations with our foreign partners. We are happy that we participate in construction of a modern and reliable nuclear power plant together with our Bangladeshi friends and we can see further prospects of our cooperation,” said Alexey Likhachev.
“The peaceful utilisation of nuclear energy will play a vital role in ensuring national energy security, accelerating industrialisation and fostering the growth of a technology-driven economy. The Rooppur project stands as a symbol of Bangladesh’s scientific advancement and demonstrates our readiness and capability to harness advanced technologies responsibly and effectively”, said minister Mahbub Anam.
Located about 160 kilometres from Dhaka, the Rooppur NPP is being constructed under a Russian design with two VVER-1200 reactors, having a total capacity of 2,400 MW, under a general contract signed on December 25, 2015.
The VVER-1200 reactors, classified as Generation III+ technology, are designed to meet international safety standards and are already operational in several reference units.
Currently, six such reactors are in operation—four in Russia and two in Belarus—while similar projects are underway in Egypt, Hungary, Turkey, and China. Kazakhstan is also conducting engineering surveys for two planned units.
Rosatom’s Engineering Division, which leads the project, brings together major nuclear industry companies and ranks first globally in terms of overseas order portfolio and simultaneous NPP construction projects.