The nuclear fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, which was scheduled to arrive in the country on Friday noon, reached Dhaka at around 11:43pm on Friday following a schedule revision.
The fuel will subsequently be transported to Rooppur on Saturday under strict security.
Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam had earlier confirmed the arrival of the fuel to the media, saying that all necessary preparations have already been completed.
According to relevant sources, the nuclear fuel arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport aboard a special cargo plane from Russia.
Under special arrangements and tight security, the consignment will later be taken to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant on Saturday.
Earlier, the nuclear fuel was scheduled to arrive in the country on Thursday, but it was deferred by a day to Friday noon. Sources said that there are currently no further complications regarding the transportation of the fuel.
Sources in the Ministry of Science and Technology said that the highly sensitive nuclear fuel is being brought into the country aboard a special cargo aircraft under strict security measures.
Although Russia and Bangladesh completed all preparations for the fuel transport on Thursday, but the arrival was delayed by one day.
According to source information, the cargo aircraft’s flight route is planned to travel to Bangladesh via Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.
According to multiple sources, the nuclear fuel will be brought to the country in nine cargoes—seven for the second unit of Rooppur and two for refuelling the first unit. Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, said that the complete supply of fuel will be delivered within December.
Fuel has already been loaded into Rooppur’s first unit. However, as one-fourth of the spent fuel in that unit must be replaced after about one and a half years, the required fuel is being brought in advance.
Under the agreement, Russia will supply fuel for the first three years, after which Bangladesh will have to import fuel at set intervals for fuel replacement.
The total generation capacity of the two units at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is 2,400 megawatts. Although fuel loading in the first unit has been completed, the timeline for power generation experienced delays due to various complications.
While electricity generation was scheduled to begin this month, it could not take place due to a defect in the safety valve. A senior official of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) confirmed on Wednesday that repair work on the safety valve was completed successfully.
However, several more critical tests must be conducted before electricity generation can begin. If these tests prove successful, electricity generated from the first unit will be added to the national grid, while construction and commissioning activities for the second unit continue to progress.
