The Nuclear Power Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), operator of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, has said there is no reason for alarm or confusion over a minor technical deviation identified during commissioning activities of the plant’s first unit.
The organisation said such minor issues detected during commissioning are a normal and mandatory part of the process before commercial operation begins.
The clarification came after social media and some media reports claimed that the plant had been shut down due to serious technical faults before starting operations, creating public concern.
NPCBL Managing Director Jahedul Hasan firmly rejected these claims, calling them misleading and not based on reality.
Speaking to the media on Monday, Jahedul Hasan said safety remains the highest priority and there is no scope for compromise in this regard. He said distorted and misleading information circulated by some groups is unnecessarily creating public anxiety.
Jahedul Hasan said multiple safety and performance tests are conducted under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority before the plant enters commercial operation.
He said the detection of minor deviations during these tests reflects the effectiveness of the safety system.
He said a leak-tightness test at 8.1 megapascals (MPa) pressure in the secondary circuit is a mandatory and routine procedure carried out every time the plant moves from shutdown to operational condition. He added that this is a globally recognised practice in the nuclear and power generation industry.
According to NPCBL managing director, a technical deviation was identified during the test compared to the acceptable limit. He said the organisation’s strict safety culture ensures that even the smallest deviation is carefully evaluated and no approval is given without corrective action.
He said the identification of the deviation itself proves that the project’s safety and quality assurance systems are functioning properly.
Dhaka University professor and nuclear scientist Professor Shafiqul Islam said it is not unusual to detect such minor technical issues during fuel loading or commissioning stages. He said a plant is shut down only if there is a major safety risk, which is not the case at present. He added that there is no reason to present the situation negatively.
Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said ensuring safety at the power plant remains the government’s top priority. He said around 1 billion US dollars has been invested in the project’s safety system to make it capable of withstanding earthquakes up to magnitude 8 and tsunamis.
He also said plans are underway to install two additional units at Rooppur based on the success of the first project.
Faqir Mahbub Anam added that in the long term, nuclear power will ensure national energy security and will be more cost-effective compared to other energy sources.
Project sources said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has a total generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts across two units. Fuel loading in the first unit was completed on 28 April, and commissioning work is ongoing.
Construction and preparatory work for the second unit is also progressing rapidly. Under the plan, about 1,100 megawatts of electricity from the first unit is expected to be added to the national grid in January 2027. Fuel loading for the second unit is scheduled to begin in June of the same year, and by September, around 2,200 megawatts combined from both units may be supplied to the national grid.
