An aircraft carrying fuel for the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has arrived in Bangladesh. The uranium-laden plane, which departed from Russia and traveled via India, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:30 PM on Friday (October 2).
Following the handover of the uranium consignment to officials of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, it is slated to be transported to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant under the security of the Bangladesh Army later that night.
Earlier on Friday afternoon, Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam informed media personnel that all preparations had been completed for transporting the uranium consignment to Rooppur after the fuel-carrying aircraft arrived in Dhaka. He also stated that the consignment would reach Rooppur under army security.
According to relevant sources, a total of 48 additional uranium assemblies for Rooppur’s first unit and 163 for the second unit will arrive in the country on nine flights between November and December. These consignments are expected to reach Bangladesh from Russia via Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India.
Previously, fuel for the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived in the country in 2023. That fuel was installed in the nuclear reactor in May of the current year.
Meanwhile, the first two tests of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s automatic pressure relief valves have been successful. However, the third valve test did not yield the expected results. Preparations are underway for retesting it, informed Project Director Dr. Kabir Hossain.
He told Channel Twenty-Four that it is not a major issue. The main problem has already been resolved, and the issue with the third valve will also be resolved soon.
Officials say that once these processes are completed, the country’s first nuclear power plant will gradually be able to move towards starting electricity production.