Rooppur Nuclear Plant Completes Tests, Awaits Final Approval

The first unit of Bangladesh’s Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has successfully completed all required tests and activities under the B-2 stage, including physics tests, and is awaiting final approval from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) before proceeding to the next stage of power startup.

Project officials said the test reports had already been submitted to the regulatory authority. Once final clearance is granted, Unit 1 will enter Stage C, the preparatory phase for power startup.

Preparations are underway to begin the power startup process around October 25, although the schedule depends on regulatory approval, according to sources involved in the project.

Meanwhile, a high-level Russian delegation visiting Bangladesh to review progress on the Rooppur project met Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam on Thursday night. The delegation briefed the minister on the overall progress of the project, including the first unit’s critical stage.

The Russian Embassy said in a statement and a social media post on Friday that the delegation, led by Andrey Petrov, first deputy director general of Rosatom and president of Atomstroyexport (ASE), visited Bangladesh from October 20 to 23 to review progress at the plant.

During the visit, the delegation held several important meetings related to the project. The meeting with the science and technology minister in Dhaka was attended by ministry secretary Md Anwar Hossain and senior officials from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL), the organisation responsible for operating the project.

According to the embassy, both sides discussed construction work and overall project progress, as well as possible steps for joint implementation in the near future.

NPCBL Managing Director Dr Md Zahedul Hasan said all tests and necessary activities under the B-2 stage of Unit 1 had been completed successfully, including the physics tests. The reports have been submitted to BAERA for review.

He said the Russian delegation briefed the ministry on progress in the unit’s critical stage. Following regulatory approval, the unit will move to Stage C and begin the power startup process.

Initially, the plant will generate electricity on a limited scale. Output will gradually increase as subsequent stages are completed successfully, he added.

Project sources said preparations were underway to begin power startup towards the end of October, possibly on October 25. However, the start date will depend on final approval from the regulatory authority.

Project officials expect the plant to supply electricity to the national grid once its output reaches around 30% to 35% of capacity. Based on the current plan, the first unit could begin supplying at least 300 megawatts to the national grid by the end of this year.

The timeline remains conditional on the successful completion of each testing stage and the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.