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The fourth shipment of uranium from Russia for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived at the project site early Saturday.
Three specialised trucks carrying the nuclear fuel reached the site at 7:17am on October 31 under army supervision and tight security provided by other law enforcement agencies.
Officer-in-Charge of Ishwardi Police Station Asadur Rahman confirmed the development.
With the latest delivery, a total of four uranium shipments have reached the project site, including one containing additional fuel for the first unit and three for the second unit.
Earlier, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom said plans were in place to transport 163 uranium fuel assemblies for the second unit in seven cargo flights, along with another 48 assemblies in two cargo shipments for refuelling the first unit.
The nuclear fuel is scheduled to arrive in a total of nine shipments.
Built with Russian technology, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has two VVER-1200 reactor units.
The first unit has begun its Power Startup Stage-C activities following approval from the chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) on Thursday, October 29.
During Stage-C, the reactor’s power level will be raised gradually to test the performance of various plant equipment, the turbine-generator, and operational and safety systems.
Once the required tests are completed successfully, the generator of the first unit will be connected to the national power transmission grid, a process known as synchronisation.
If activities proceed as planned, the authorities aim to supply around 300 megawatts of electricity from the first unit to the national grid on a trial basis in November.
The planned grid connection will, however, depend on meeting regulatory requirements and obtaining the necessary approvals.
