Fresh nuclear fuel has been loaded into the reactor core of Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna.
The development marks one of the final key steps before the plant begins generating electricity commercially. Trial power generation will begin in phases, with around 300MW expected to be supplied to the national grid in August.
In a press release, Atomstroyexport, the Russian contractor building the plant, said fuel loading had been completed successfully in the reactor vessel of Unit 1.
The process began on April 28, with 163 fuel assemblies inserted into the reactor core in phases.
The company described the development as an important milestone toward the start of commercial power generation.
The reactor will soon be brought to its minimum controllable power level, followed by a gradual increase in capacity. The process will pave the way for power start-up and trial commercial operation of Unit 1.
Alexey Deriy, vice-president of Atomstroyexport and director of the Rooppur project, said: “The work was conducted in strict compliance with the initial core loading programme, operational regulations and international nuclear safety standards.
“The next stage is installing the upper reactor unit and connecting all necessary in-core instrumentation systems. Hundreds of further tests will then be conducted to prove the reliable and safe operation of all process systems.”
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is the largest single project in Bangladesh’s history.
The project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Russia’s Atomstroyexport is constructing two units at the plant, each with a capacity of 1,200MW.