Fresh Uranium Consignment for Rooppur Unit-1 Reaches Dhaka

Concluding logistical arrangements and transit procedures, a fresh consignment of uranium nuclear fuel intended for the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) landed in Dhaka. The specialized cargo aircraft carrying the nuclear assemblies arrived from Russia via Indian airspace and touched down at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at approximately 11:30 PM on Friday, 2 October 2026.

Upon landing, high-level officials from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) formally accepted the nuclear shipment. Following institutional protocols, comprehensive arrangements were executed to transport the radioactive payload to the project site at Ishwardi, Pabna, escorted under strict, multi-tiered security provided by the Bangladesh Army.

Earlier on Friday afternoon, Minister for Science and Technology Fakir Mahbub Anam briefed journalists, stating that state security apparatuses and project engineers had finalized all protocols to transport the consignment directly to the plant perimeter under armed military escort without transit disruption.

Project officials revealed that an additional nine cargo flights are scheduled to deliver supplementary fuel batches between November and December. Under this supply chain timeline, 48 fuel assemblies are designated for Unit-1, while 163 assemblies will arrive for Unit-2. The flight route traverses from Russia across Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India before reaching Bangladeshi airspace. The baseline fuel for Unit-1 arrived in 2023 and was successfully loaded into the nuclear reactor core in May this year.

Simultaneously, technical teams are advancing testing protocols on the plant's automatic depressurization valves. While the first two valve stress and relief tests demonstrated flawless operation, the third valve did not fully achieve the desired response parameters, prompting engineers to schedule a retest.

Downplaying technical concerns, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Construction Project Director Dr. Kabir Hossain confirmed: "This is not a major impediment. We have already addressed and resolved the principal technical issues, and the minor discrepancy with the third valve will be settled promptly."

Officials reaffirmed that once this critical regulatory and testing phase concludes, the nation's maiden atomic facility will formally enter successive commissioning stages to begin supplying clean baseload electricity to the national grid.

//DBTech/SMP/BV/PC//