The second shipment of uranium fuel for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Ishwardi, Pabna, arrived at the project site at 10:03am on Wednesday under tight security.
The convoy carrying the nuclear fuel left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 4:56am on Wednesday under Bangladesh Army escort. Law enforcement personnel were deployed at various points along the Dhaka-Ishwardi route to ensure security.
Alongside the army, police, the Special Security Force (SSF) and various intelligence agencies were involved in securing the shipment. Special security measures were also put in place along key roads and at strategic locations.
The aircraft carrying the uranium landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Tuesday night. Officials from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority subsequently took custody of the shipment.
Asadur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Ishwardi police station, confirmed the arrival, saying the convoy entered the project site around 10am on Wednesday under heavy security.
According to project sources, fuel for the plant's second unit is scheduled to arrive in seven separate shipments. Two additional shipments are planned for refuelling the first unit, bringing the total number of shipments to nine. All shipments are expected to arrive in Bangladesh by December.
Engineers and project officials said that, if preparations proceed as scheduled, the country's first nuclear power plant could begin supplying 200-300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid on a trial basis by December this year.