A uranium consignment for the second unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant reached the project site in Pabna on Saturday afternoon amid tight security.

Three uranium-laden lorries arrived at the nuclear power plant site around 12:25pm after leaving Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 7:15am under the security escort of the Bangladesh Army, said Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam.

The consignment is the first shipment of uranium for the second unit of the Rooppur plant.

A special cargo aircraft carrying the uranium landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 11:44pm on Friday.

After completing the necessary formalities, the uranium was transported to Rooppur in three lorries while another vehicle carried other equipment.

A team of specialists who had arrived from Russia also accompanied the consignment.

Members of the Bangladesh Army, police and various intelligence agencies were deployed to ensure security during the transportation.

The flight carrying uranium for Rooppur plant was scheduled to arrive on September 24 but was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace.

According to project officials, a total of nine uranium consignments are scheduled to be brought to Bangladesh — seven for the second unit and two for the refuelling of the first unit.

All the consignments are scheduled to be delivered by December.

Fuel for the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was brought to Bangladesh in 2023.

The Rooppur plant, comprising two 1,200-megawatt units, has a total generation capacity of 2,400MW.

Construction of the plant began in 2013 with Russian assistance at an estimated cost of more than Tk 1.13 lakh crore.

Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL) Managing Director Dr Zahidul Hasan said testing of the 16-megawatt high-pressure system under the reactor protection and safety-related system was successfully completed on Wednesday following the replacement of a defective valve.