Fuel is here, trial operation of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to start in December
IAEA recommendations are being implemented now, says Science and Technology Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed
Highlights:
- Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant set to begin trial operations in December
- Fuel for the plant has already arrived, says Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed
- Bangladesh had requested November launch, but Russia confirmed December instead
- IAEA team inspected facility and made recommendations, which are being implemented
- Per-unit electricity price from Rooppur has not yet been determined
Science and Technology Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will begin trial operations in December, noting that fuel for the plant has already arrived.
Speaking to The Business Standard today (30 September) at his finance ministry office, the adviser said, "We had written to Russia requesting a November launch, but they have informed us it will begin in December."
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A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has inspected the facility and made several recommendations, which are now being implemented, added Salehuddin, who is also the finance adviser, saying, "They will return to give final approval."
Salehuddin mentioned that the per-unit price of electricity from the plant has not yet been determined.
According to an IAEA review team that concluded its mission on 27 August, Bangladesh's first nuclear power facility at Rooppur has demonstrated a strong commitment to operational safety.
The Pre-Operational Safety Review Team (Pre-OSART) visit, conducted at Dhaka's request, assessed Unit 1 of the power plant ahead of its commercial launch, the IAEA said in a statement. Such missions benchmark nuclear facilities against global safety standards before they begin loading fuel.
Located in Pabna on the banks of the Padma River, the twin-unit plant will add 2,400MW to Bangladesh's grid once both Russian-built VVER-1200 reactors are operational. Unit 1 construction began in 2017, followed by Unit 2 in 2018.
Previously, in a Facebook post in June, Local Government Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain said electricity from the power plant is expected to be connected to the national grid by December, adding that construction work is progressing rapidly.
Loan disbursement period extended
Notably, Bangladesh has successfully extended the Russian loan disbursement period for the power plant until 2027.
The crucial agreement, formalised as "Protocol-2," was signed on 14 July, addressing significant delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and Western sanctions on Russian banks.
The revised terms, witnessed by Finance Adviser Salehuddin, also defer the start of principal repayment by 18 months.
Md Shahriar Kader Siddiky, secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD), at the time told TBS, "A new protocol has been signed. We now expect the project to be completed within time."
The original intergovernmental agreement between Bangladesh and Russia stipulated a loan disbursement period from 2017 to 2024 (December), with loan repayment set to begin in March 2027 after a 10-year grace period. Under the new arrangement, repayments will now commence in September 2028.
The Rooppur project, estimated to cost $12.65 billion, sees Russia providing 90% or $11.38 billion through state credit, with Bangladesh contributing the remaining 10%.
