Major milestone in nuclear power
Sixth uranium consignment reaches Rooppur under security
- Fifth uranium shipment for Rooppur's second unit arrived safely
- Three specialized lorries transported nuclear fuel under military security
- Target set to add 300 MW to national grid
Powered by advanced nuclear engineering and Generation III+ reactor safety technology, Bangladesh's power and energy sector is approaching a historic milestone. According to relevant sources, the fifth consignment of uranium from Russia for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived at the project site at 6:05 AM on Saturday, November 14.
Three specialized lorries carrying the nuclear fuel entered the project premises under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army and strict security from law enforcement agencies. With this delivery, a total of six uranium consignments—one additional shipment for the first unit and five for the second unit—have safely arrived at Rooppur.
Russia's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom previously stated that plans are in place to deliver 163 uranium assemblies across seven cargo flights for the second unit, alongside 48 additional assemblies in two cargo flights for refueling the first unit, totaling nine shipments. Built with Russian technology, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant houses two VVER-1200 reactor units, with the first unit having already initiated 'Power Startup Stage-C' operations.
Relevant sources state that the Chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) approved the commencement of Stage-C operations for the first unit on Thursday, October 29. During this critical engineering phase, reactor power will be gradually increased to test the performance of plant equipment, turbine generators, operational controls, and safety systems.
Upon successful completion of mandatory technical tests, the first unit's generator will be connected to the national power transmission grid in a process known as 'synchronization'. If everything proceeds as scheduled, approximately 300 megawatts of electricity from the first unit is targeted for experimental integration into the national grid this November, subject to regulatory conditions and final approvals.
//DBTech/Ranajeet Kumar Shill/SDE/FOED//
