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Following the resolution of technical and procedural issues related to airspace clearance, the shipment of the first batch of nuclear fuel for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has begun through an alternative route.
According to sources at Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), the shipment process started on Thursday (October 1, 2026), with the first cargo flight carrying the uranium-based nuclear fuel scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Friday afternoon.
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said the full supply of nuclear fuel for Unit-2 will be delivered on seven cargo flights between October and December 2026.
The fuel delivery had earlier been delayed, prompting speculation in Bangladesh that Pakistan had denied overflight clearance for the shipment. The issue generated public debate and discussions on social media about whether the delay could affect the commissioning and commercial operation of the second unit.
However, the Pakistani government told BBC Urdu that the matter was not political but related to technical and procedural requirements under civil aviation regulations.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haidar said the country processes diplomatic flight and overflight requests in accordance with international rules and established aviation procedures. He said inter-agency coordination over flight routes and airspace clearance could sometimes affect flight schedules.
Meanwhile, fuel loading for Rooppur Unit-1 was completed on April 28, 2026, marking a major step in the plant’s transition from construction to commissioning.
Technical testing and repairs of safety valves in Unit-1 are currently under way. If all technical parameters are satisfactory, the unit is expected to begin initial test power generation of around 300 MW for supply to the national grid by late 2026. It is then expected to reach its full commercial capacity of 1,200 MW in the first half of 2027.
Unit-2 is currently expected to begin operation in late 2027, following fuel loading, testing and commissioning.
The $12.65-billion Rooppur project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) in cooperation with Russia’s JSC Atomstroyexport (ASE). About 90 per cent of the project financing comes through Russian state credit.
Located on the bank of the Padma River in Pabna, the plant consists of two VVER-1200 reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW. The Russian-designed VVER-1200 is a Generation III+ pressurised water reactor technology.
Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahboob Anam earlier said an unexpected issue involving a Pilot-Operated Relief Valve (PORV) had temporarily delayed work, with Bangladeshi and Russian experts working jointly to resolve the problem.
Rosatom later said the Unit-2 fuel shipments were scheduled for October to December 2026 in accordance with the project’s contractual arrangements. The batch initially expected in September will therefore be delivered in phases through December.
The fuel shipment comes at a time when Bangladesh is facing pressure on power supplies amid reduced LNG imports and outstanding payments affecting some private power plants.
Project officials expect the technical and commissioning processes to continue after the fuel arrives, while experts have said commercial electricity generation from Unit-2 is unlikely before the middle of 2027.
