The first 1,200MW unit of Rooppur, Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant, has completed all preparations, including the physics test of its “B-2” stage.
Zahedul Hasan, managing director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), said on Saturday that the test reports were submitted to the regulator, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), on Wednesday.
The “C stage”, or “power start-up”, the final preparatory phase before power generation, will begin once the regulator gives final approval.
The company says it is ready to start the power start-up late this month if all goes to plan, but that depends entirely on BAERA’s clearance.
Power generation will begin on a limited scale at first, and capacity will be raised step by step as the tests succeed.
Project engineers said the Ministry of Science and Technology was briefed on the critical stage of progress after a meeting with a visiting high-level Russian delegation.
They hope that once the plant reaches 25 to 30 percent of capacity after power start-up, the first unit can begin supplying test power to the national grid.
On that basis, at least 300MW could be added to the grid from Rooppur’s first unit by the end of this year.
Under international nuclear standards, every stage must be tested thoroughly and formally approved by BAERA before commercial production.
Once the plant goes commercial, Bangladesh will formally join the elite group of nuclear power producers, a historic milestone for energy security and science and technology.
The project’s original deadline was December 2025, since extended twice to June 2028.
Under the main contract with Russia, the euro or dollar contract cost has not risen despite the extensions.
But a stronger dollar in the local market has pushed up the project cost in taka by about Tk 260 billion. The total estimated cost now stands at Tk 1.39 trillion.