Fuel loading at Rooppur's first unit set for 28 April, power generation expected by July-Aug
Plans are also in place to begin fuel loading at the second unit later this year.
Fuel loading at the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is set to begin on 28 April, with electricity expected to be supplied to the national grid on a trial basis by late July or early August.
Science and Technology Secretary Anwar Hossain confirmed the development to The Business Standard today (23 April).
"Testing will continue during the fuel loading phase," he said. "After completing all tests, electricity from Rooppur will be added to the national grid within three to three and a half months, or by the end of July or the first week of August."
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Project officials said the first unit is expected to initially generate around 300MW of electricity, with output increasing by 10-15% each month. It may take around eight to ten months after physical start-up to reach the full capacity of 1,200MW.
Plans are also in place to begin fuel loading at the second unit later this year.
Delays and revised timelines
Earlier, following a meeting with the Russian ambassador on 12 March, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury had told journalists that fuel loading would begin on 7 April. However, project officials said the schedule was pushed back due to delays in obtaining the commissioning licence from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority.
The Rooppur project has faced multiple delays in recent years.
In January this year, then Science and Technology Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said electricity generation from the first unit could begin in March following fuel loading.
But additional safety tests meant the plant could not go into production at that time.
Work on the project began in October 2013 under an intergovernmental agreement between Bangladesh and Russia.
In December 2015, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission signed an agreement with Russia's state-owned Atomstroyexport for the construction of two units with a combined capacity of 2,400MW, along with equipment supply, training and fuel arrangements.
Later, in November 2017, the then prime minister inaugurated the concrete pouring for the reactor and water cooling dome of the first unit.
Although one unit had initially been expected to begin production in early 2021, progress was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Further setbacks were caused by complications linked to the war in Ukraine and other challenges.
Costs rise, deadline extended
In March last year, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved a revised proposal increasing the project cost by Tk25,592 crore. The initial cost stood at Tk113,092.91 crore, which rose to Tk138,685 crore after revision, mainly due to exchange rate fluctuations and higher costs in some components.
Officials said the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war and a dollar shortage have affected the project's progress. As a result, during the 90th joint coordination meeting between Bangladesh and Russia on 3 June 2025, it was decided to extend the project timeline.
The provisional handover of Unit 2 has been extended to 31 December 2027, with the overall project now scheduled for completion by June 2028 under the revised plan.
