Rooppur Unit 1 to begin power start-up on Friday

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The first unit of Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is set to begin its power start-up phase on Friday after receiving approval from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA).

BAERA Chairman Mahmudul Hasan told The Financial Express on Thursday that the regulator had issued a “C” certificate, allowing Unit 1 to proceed to the next stage after completing the previous step.

The unit will require another certification, designated “D”, before it can supply its first nuclear-generated electricity to the national grid, Hasan said.

He estimated that the next stage of trial power supply could take 15 to 20 days. If the process proceeds as planned, the unit could initially contribute around 300 megawatts of electricity to the grid.

Separately, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced on October 29 that it had begun supplying nuclear fuel for the initial loading of the VVER-1200 reactor at Rooppur’s second unit.

The first batch of fuel assemblies, manufactured at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant under Rosatom’s Fuel Division, was recently transported to Bangladesh on a dedicated cargo flight.

Rosatom also said shipments of fresh nuclear fuel from Siberia had been completed for the first refuelling of Unit 1, which is scheduled after the reactor finishes its first annual fuel cycle.

At the plant, the fuel containers were transferred to a designated storage facility. Each fuel assembly will undergo visual and instrumental inspections to verify compliance with technical specifications and nuclear safety requirements.

A joint commission comprising representatives from Bangladesh, the project’s general contractor and the fuel manufacturer will oversee the inspections under applicable nuclear and radiation safety regulations.

Before connecting to the national grid and entering trial commercial operation, the unit must complete further power-ascension tests and secure the necessary regulatory approvals, Rosatom said.

Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant, Rooppur has two Russian-designed Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 megawatts. Rosatom’s Engineering Division is responsible for the project’s design and construction.

Once the plant begins supplying electricity to the national grid, Bangladesh will become the world’s 33rd nuclear power-producing country, marking a significant step towards diversifying its energy sources and strengthening long-term electricity security.