Play store
Fuel supply has begun for the initial loading of the VVER-1200 reactor at Unit 2 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Ishwardi, Pabna, while fresh nuclear fuel required for the first refuelling of Unit 1 has also been delivered to Bangladesh.
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom confirmed the development in a press note issued to the media on Thursday.
The first shipment of fuel assemblies, manufactured at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant under Rosatom’s Fuel Division, recently arrived in Bangladesh on a special cargo flight.
Earlier, fresh nuclear fuel required for the first refuelling of Unit 1 arrived in Bangladesh from Siberia. The refuelling is scheduled to take place after the reactor completes its first fuel cycle.
Following delivery to the Rooppur plant site, the fuel containers were transferred to a designated storage facility for fresh nuclear fuel.
Rosatom said all fuel assemblies would undergo mandatory visual and instrumental inspections to ensure compliance with technical specifications and nuclear safety requirements.
The inspections will be conducted by a joint commission comprising representatives from Bangladesh, the general contractor and the fuel manufacturer, in strict compliance with nuclear and radiation safety regulations.
According to project sources, Rosatom’s engineering division completed the initial loading of nuclear fuel into the VVER-1200 reactor core of Unit 1 in 2026. The reactor subsequently reached its minimum controllable power level this month, marking a significant milestone towards electricity generation.
Before connection to the national grid and subsequent trial commercial operation, Unit 1 must undergo power ascension tests and obtain the necessary regulatory approvals.
Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant, Rooppur, features two Russian-designed Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors with a combined generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts.
Rosatom’s engineering division is serving as the project’s chief designer and general contractor.
