Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Successfully Completes Full Scale Emergency Drill

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the country's first nuclear power facility, has successfully completed a full-scale emergency and firefighting drill. Held on Thursday (July 2), the exercise was organized under the Emergency Preparedness Programme to verify the plant's response capabilities, inter-agency coordination, communication systems, and emergency management effectiveness during a simulated crisis.

Dr. Md. Jahedul Hasan, Managing Director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), directed and supervised the overall operations directly from the project's Emergency Control Center.

SM Mahmud Arafat, Deputy Chief Superintendent of NPCBL, stated that the drill successfully tested emergency classification, control center activation, technical evaluation, potential radiation impact assessment, protective measures implementation, and the coordinated actions of relevant agencies. He added that upon the declaration of the simulated emergency, the Plant Emergency Response Organization was instantly activated and initiated countermeasures according to the designated plan. The technical team analyzed plant operational data, radioactivity, weather patterns, and the potential impact on workers and local residents to take necessary protective actions.

The drill witnessed participation from representatives of various government agencies, including the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), its technical support organization VO-Safety, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), National Crisis Center, district administration, law enforcement, Fire Service and Civil Defense, and medical service institutions. A special delegation of nuclear experts from Moscow was also present as international observers. Following the exercise, BAERA and VO-Safety reviewed the overall activities and did not present any significant flaws or negative observations, SM Mahmud Arafat informed.

Expressing satisfaction at the end of the drill, NPCBL Managing Director Dr. Md. Jahedul Hasan said, "By simulating an emergency scenario, the 'Plant Emergency Response' was instantly activated during the drill. Our technical and expert teams flawlessly executed complex safety assessments such as continuous plant parameter checks, radioactivity monitoring, weather evaluation, atmospheric radiation dispersion analysis, and estimating potential impacts on personnel and the surrounding public. The drill successfully fulfilled all statutory requirements without any adverse observations or errors."

He further emphasized that this exercise stands as significant proof of the first nuclear power plant's emergency readiness, technical proficiency, effective leadership, and the coordinated capacity of national and local agencies. NPCBL is committed to ensuring the maximum safety of workers, the local population, and the environment through regular drills and training in compliance with international safety standards.

Notably, in August of last year, a special 'Pre-OSART' mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) evaluated the safety systems of the first unit of the Rooppur plant. At that time, as part of the preparation for commercial operation, the IAEA made several crucial recommendations for further improvement of firefighting, emergency response, and operational supervision systems. Through today's successful full-scale drill, the Rooppur authorities demonstrated the successful implementation of those international safety guidelines.

Constructed at a cost of $12.65 billion with Russian financial and technical assistance in Ishwardi, Pabna, the 2,400 MW capacity Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant successfully began loading nuclear fuel (uranium) into its first unit on April 28. With this milestone, the power plant has entered its core operational phase and will soon be ready for test electricity supply to the national grid.

//DBTech/BN/EK//