Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has received its first shipment of uranium fuel for its second unit, while an additional consignment for the first unit arrived at the project site in Ishwardi, Pabna, on Wednesday, marking further progress towards bringing both reactors into operation.
The shipment for the second unit reached the plant at around 10:05am, Dr Zayedul Hassan, managing director of the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), confirmed.
Bangladeshi and Russian officials working at the project welcomed the consignment as the vehicle carrying the radioactive nuclear fuel entered the plant premises.
Meanwhile, the third shipment of uranium fuel for the first unit also arrived at the facility by road under tight security on Wednesday.
Site in-charge Ruhul Quddus Tutul said the convoy carrying the fuel entered the plant premises at 10:03am.
The shipment had arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka late on Tuesday night, aboard a special cargo aircraft from Russia via India.
Officials from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority received the consignment at the airport.
The convoy carrying the fuel departed the airport at 4:56am on Wednesday, escorted by members of the Bangladesh Army.
The Special Security Force (SSF), police and intelligence agencies also provided security during the journey.
Law enforcement personnel, including members of the Army, police and SSF, were deployed at strategic points along the route, with security maintained throughout the transportation.
According to the schedule set by Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom, fuel for the second unit is expected to arrive in Bangladesh between October and December.
A total of nine flights are planned during this period to deliver 48 additional fuel assemblies for the first unit and 163 assemblies for the second unit.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has two reactors, each with a generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts. Once both units are fully operational, the plant will be capable of supplying 2,400MW of electricity to the national grid.