Bangladesh has started loading fuel at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant

DHAKA: Bangladesh entered the era of nuclear power generation on Tuesday as its Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant started loading fuel into its VVER-1200 reactor – the latest Russian Gen III+ pressurized water reactor technology, which India is also looking at for its future nuclear power projects, including new units at Kudankulam. The fuel for the plant’s first unit was loaded at Pabna, about 160 km from the capital Dhaka. Built by Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom, the 2.4 GW plant (2 x 1200 MW units) aims to provide 10-12% of the country’s electricity. The first unit will be formally and legally transferred to Bangladesh for operation before the end of 2026. Rooppur NPP will play an important role in ensuring national energy security, accelerating industrialization and promoting the development of a technology-driven economy, Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mehboob Anam said, adding that the project is being built at a cost of about $13 billion, with Russia providing 90% of the state loan. The loading phase is the first in the commissioning phase of the unit and will then bring the reactor to a stable controllable power level. Officials said production will start at a low level and full production is not expected until 2027. In India, Kudankulam – which already has two Russian VVER 1000 pressurized water reactors in commercial operation since 2014 – will have two more units – 7 and 8 with larger VVER-1200 reactors – as proposed for the fourth phase of the plant. Last year, Rosatom said that technical specifications were currently being prepared for the construction of a new Russian-designed nuclear power plant with VVER-1200 reactor units in India.