Nuclear engineering expert Dr Afroza Shelley has said Bangladesh’s entry into the nuclear world brings with it not just opportunity, but also higher scrutiny and greater responsibility on the global stage.
The professor from the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Dhaka University also noted that full self-sufficiency in operating and maintaining the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant cannot be achieved overnight.
She stressed that the country must prioritise building local institutional capacity alongside its reliance on Rosatom in the coming years.
Dr Shelley, who is particularly engaged in research on the VVER-1200 reactor technology used at Rooppur, said such academic and technical work is crucial for developing domestic expertise in nuclear systems.
In an interview with Nahiyan Ahmed of TIMES of Bangladesh, she also called for detailed emergency preparedness planning that extends beyond the plant itself and into surrounding communities, ensuring that local populations are aware, trained, and included in safety protocols.
Fuel loading has commenced at Rooppur. What are the remaining steps before production begins?
Fuel loading is the moment the reactor enters its initial start-up phase. The entire fuel loading process may take approximately 45 days. Following this, the reactor will be brought to its minimum controlled power level.
Several steps remain, including reactor physics tests, equipment calibration, verification of control and protection logic, low-power physics tests, gradual power escalation, grid synchronisation, and obtaining final regulatory approvals.
How much will nuclear power impact our energy security?
For an import-dependent energy system like Bangladesh’s, nuclear power is a tool for long-term supply diversification. Bangladesh aims to increase the share of nuclear energy in electricity generation to 12 percent by 2041.
Once the two units at Rooppur are operational, 2,400MW of electricity will be added to the grid, which will reduce the excessive pressure on natural gas.
Although the volume of nuclear fuel required is very small, its energy density is high. Therefore, unlike coal or gas, it does not have to rely on monthly fuel supply planning. However, nuclear power is not a substitute for all other fuels in Bangladesh.
Given the global fluctuations in the prices of gas, fuel oil, and coal – should we be concerned about this regarding nuclear fuel?
Not to that extent. The impact of fuel price fluctuations on nuclear power generation is relatively low. Direct market crashes or surges in gas, oil, or coal prices do not hit nuclear tariffs as directly.
However, costs related to uranium enrichment, fuel fabrication, regulatory compliance, insurance, end-of-use disposal funds, and the transport of spent fuel could have some impact.
The primary risks lie mainly in capital expenditure, financing costs, outage management, and project implementation.
India built its nuclear plants at a much lower cost. Why is the construction cost of Rooppur comparatively higher?
A comparison must be made carefully. India’s nuclear reactors are dependent on a domestic supply chain and are built upon a tradition of indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR).
Bangladesh is adopting a Russian VVER-1200, which is an advanced third-generation plant, for the first time.
As a “first-of-a-kind” project for a new country, the costs associated with establishing infrastructure, regulatory capacity, supplier connections, training, quality assurance, and project management are higher.
Another difference is the financing structure. The total project cost was estimated at $12.65 billion, of which 90 percent or $11.38 billion is a Russian loan. What else contributes to this cost?
The “expensiveness” of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is not just the price of the reactor; it includes the learning curve, imported technology, financing costs, schedule delays, infrastructure construction, and advanced safety features.
To what extent has the Rooppur project skilled our engineers and experts? How long will the dependence on Rosatom continue?
Rooppur is undoubtedly a major capacity-building platform for human resource development in Bangladesh. A total of 1,927 personnel were identified to operate the two units of Rooppur.
Out of these, training requirements were set for 1,119 individuals, and there was a plan to train 851 of them in the Russian Federation.
To manage Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, an operating organisation named Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) has been established.
To create a skilled workforce, undergraduate programmes in nuclear engineering have been launched at Dhaka University and the Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST).
Will we ever be self-reliant, or will we have to depend on foreigners in the long term?
Full self-reliance in nuclear power is generally a long-term goal. For a new country like ours, it does not happen in one or two years. It is realistic to build self-reliance gradually.
Fields such as the operating team, radiation protection, chemistry, instrumentation, maintenance planning, work management, and emergency preparedness will gradually transition to local expertise.
However, zeroing out external dependence for supplier-specific support, fuel reloading plans, specialised equipment, and major overhauls is very difficult. This is not a weakness but a normal reality of a new nuclear programme.
Chernobyl and Fukushima have created fear in people’s minds. What are the safety measures at Rooppur?
The VVER-1200 design at Rooppur is described as incorporating post-Fukushima lessons.
This design includes dedicated systems for long-term core cooling without electrical power, long-term decay heat removal, and maintaining the integrity of the containment structure even if the core melts.
Rosatom’s design materials highlight double containment, passive safety, emergency cooling, and a core catcher as key safety features. It should be noted that ‘safe’ does not mean ‘risk-free’. However, third-generation reactors are designed such that both the probability and consequences of serious accidents are significantly reduced. Simply put, the safety system at Rooppur is much stronger than that of previous-generation reactors.
Bangladesh is in an earthquake-prone area. Is the location of this plant on the banks of the Padma geographically safe?
During site selection, seismic hazards, soil stabilisation, flood protection, and groundwater conditions were included in the licensing process.
The 2022 Bangladesh Nuclear Safety Convention report clearly mentions soil stabilisation work, deep soil mixing, and flood protection engineering. It also mentions that the design includes engineered protection against potential floods and underground flooding.
What should be the “dos and don’ts” for the people of Rooppur and surrounding areas?
Detailed planning is definitely required, and it should reach the surrounding community, not just inside Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
The “dos” include following government instructions, knowing designated safe areas or assembly points, keeping track of emergency information sources, and verifying false news.
The “don’ts” include spreading rumours, entering restricted areas, blocking evacuation routes without permission, or behaving in a panicked manner.
Russia will take back the radioactive waste generated from Rooppur. What specific precautions are necessary during this transport?
For transport – whether by land, water, or air – international safety frameworks are established for radioactive materials. This includes packaging, dispatching, loading, transport, storage during transport, and unloading.
Spent fuel transport casks are designed to maintain radiation containment and ensure no significant leakage even in the event of a serious transport accident. In the long term, this can be an effective “back-end solution,” especially for new programmes.
But this should not be considered the sole final state. Interim storage, a national waste strategy, an end-of-use disposal fund, regulatory oversight, and contingency plans must be strengthened separately.
Sending it back to the supplier is a contractual route, but local institutional capacity is equally important for a sustainable nuclear programme.
Could Bangladesh’s entry into the nuclear world create any specific complications?
The complications refer mainly to governance, safeguards, security, export control, and geopolitics. Bangladesh has been under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards agreement since 1982, and the Additional Protocol has been in effect since 2001.
These are the foundations of the commitment to peaceful use. The primary purpose of IAEA safeguards is to ensure that materials are not diverted elsewhere.
The main task for Bangladesh is to maintain transparency, strengthen regulatory independence, maintain physical protection, and remain compliant in the supply chain. The international community is observing Rooppur very closely as a new programme.
Will the trade agreement with the United States be an obstacle to collecting nuclear fuel from Russia?
There is a clause in the agreement: Bangladesh will not purchase any nuclear reactor, fuel rods, or enriched uranium from any country that jeopardises the interests of the United States.
However, there are exceptions for proprietary components or pre-contracted components of existing reactors.
This means it could be a realistic policy constraint for future procurement decisions, particularly if the US administration identifies a supplier as being contrary to “essential US interests.”
However, this will not affect Rooppur. Rather, it is more accurate to view this as a geopolitical risk for future procurement.
What is the possibility of finding extractable reserves of uranium or thorium in Bangladesh?
There is no reliable local or international evidence that economically proven reserves have been found for uranium-powered operations in Bangladesh.
Research papers have mentioned the presence of uranium and thorium in the beach sands of Cox’s Bazar, zircon assemblages, some sandstones in Sylhet, and several heavy mineral deposits. These indicate potential, but potential does not mean reserves.
