Fire at Rooppur Pioneer Base Did Not Affect Main Plant

Dhaka, September 9, Wednesday: A fire that broke out at a temporary building at the Pioneer Base of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction project on September 7 did not affect the plant’s main facilities, construction work or commissioning activities, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and the Rooppur project authority said.

According to a joint statement issued on Wednesday, the fire broke out at approximately 3:45am on September 7 at a temporary building within the Pioneer Base.

The location of the incident is outside the main facilities of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. As a result, the authorities said there was no scope for the incident to affect construction or commissioning activities at the main plant facilities.

Operations at the power plant are continuing normally, the statement said.

Two rooms partially damaged

Fire service personnel reached the site quickly and conducted firefighting operations. The fire was subsequently brought fully under control and extinguished.

No one was injured or killed in the incident.

Office furniture, documents, IT equipment and communication-related equipment in two rooms of the temporary building were partially damaged by the fire.

The project authority, however, has adequate backup copies of the affected documents. Therefore, there has been no disruption to information preservation or project operations, according to the statement.

AC unit suspected initially

The authorities said the fire may have originated from a fault in the indoor unit of a split-type air conditioner.

The cause, however, has not yet been confirmed and remains under investigation.

An Investigation Committee has been formed under the project’s Fire Safety Procedure to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage. The committee has already begun its investigation.

The detailed cause and damage assessment will be known after the committee submits its report, the authorities said.

Situation fully under control

The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction project authority are reviewing the incident with due importance and continuing necessary measures in accordance with established fire-safety procedures.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, the administrative ministry, has already been informed of the incident.

The authorities stressed that the fire was confined to a temporary building outside the main facilities of the nuclear power plant and that the situation is now fully under control.

They urged the public not to be concerned.

//DBTech/NECSA/RKE/FOET//