The first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has failed to begin its power startup operation on Sunday (25 October) as it didn’t get the final clearance from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), project officials said.
All tests and activities under Stage B-2, including physics tests, have been completed successfully, and the relevant reports were submitted to the regulatory authority on Wednesday (21 October).
The unit can move into Stage C, the preparatory phase for electricity generation, once BAERA grants approval.
Dr Md Zahedul Hassan, managing director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), confirmed that the required tests and activities had been completed.
He said the physics test reports had been submitted to BAERA and that the unit was awaiting regulatory clearance to proceed to the next stage.
According to project sources, preparations are underway to begin power startup around 25 October. However, the operation may be delayed if the required approval is not received in time.
Zahedul Hassan said a high-level Russian delegation had briefed the Ministry of Science and Technology on the progress of Unit-1’s criticality phase.
Following regulatory approval, the unit will enter Stage C, allowing power startup activities to begin.
Electricity generation will initially be limited, with the reactor’s output gradually increased as subsequent tests and activities are completed successfully.
Project officials expect the unit to start supplying electricity to the national grid once its generation capacity reaches 30 to 35 per cent.
The authorities are aiming to supply at least 300 megawatts of electricity from the first unit to the national grid by the end of this year.
However, the target will depend on the successful completion of each stage of testing and the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.
The power startup process follows the achievement of initial criticality at Unit-1 on 11 October, when the reactor sustained its first controlled nuclear chain reaction.
The milestone marked a significant step towards electricity generation at Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant.
Initial criticality is the first of four major stages leading to electricity generation.
The subsequent stages involve transferring thermal energy, converting it into mechanical energy and finally generating electricity for supply to the national grid.
Md Anwar Hossain, secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the controlled chain reaction was initiated after the required compliance procedures, technical parameters and external certifications had been completed.
He said nuclear fuel had already been loaded into the reactor and the fission process had begun.
Russian specialists, Bangladeshi experts and other technical personnel were present to observe the process and assess the reactor’s performance.
In a nuclear reactor, controlled fission splits uranium atoms, releasing heat. The heat is used to produce steam, which drives turbines to generate electricity.
Anwar said technical teams were working to complete the remaining processes as quickly as possible, while ensuring that every stage complied with the required procedures and safety standards.
Located in Ishwardi, Pabna, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built with two VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor units using Russian technology supplied by Rosatom.
Each unit has a planned capacity of 1,200 megawatts, giving the plant a combined capacity of 2,400MW.