Another shipment of highly radioactive uranium fuel has reached the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna amid tight security supervision by the Bangladesh Army.
The convoy carrying the uranium entered the plant premises shortly after 10am on Wednesday, said Asaduzzaman Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Ishwardi Police Station.
The convoy carrying the nuclear fuel departed Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 5am under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army.
Members of the police, SRB and intelligence agencies were also deployed to ensure security during the transportation.
Law enforcement personnel took positions at key points along the entire route, maintaining tight security throughout the journey.
The special cargo aircraft carrying the uranium arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday night.
Officials of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority received the shipment there.
With the latest delivery, three uranium shipments have reached the Rooppur plant this year.
The first two shipments of uranium fuel for the plant's first unit arrived on 3 and 11 October, respectively. The latest shipment is intended for the plant's second unit.
According to project officials, a total of nine uranium consignments are scheduled to be brought to Bangladesh — seven for the second unit and two for the refuelling of the first unit.
All the consignments are scheduled to be delivered by December.
Fuel for the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was brought to Bangladesh in 2023.
The Rooppur plant, comprising two 1,200MW units, has a total generation capacity of 2,400MW. Construction of the plant began in 2013 with Russian assistance at an estimated cost of more than Tk1.13 lakh crore.
Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL) Managing Director Zahidul Hasan said testing of the 16MW high-pressure system under the reactor protection and safety-related system was successfully completed on Wednesday following the replacement of a defective valve.