The third shipment of nuclear fuel, weighing 41 tons, has reached the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Ishwardi, Pabna, amid tight security.
The vehicles carrying the fuel entered the plant premises around 8am on Tuesday under military escort.
The shipment arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on a special flight from Russia on Monday morning, following a stopover in Delhi, India. The fuel was packed into 12 transport containers.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the containers were loaded onto three lorries and transported by road to Rooppur. The convoy crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge and passed through Bonpara in Natore and Dashuria in Ishwardi before reaching the project site.
Police personnel were stationed at several intersections along the route to manage traffic. Members of the military, the Special Security Force (SSF) and intelligence agencies were also involved in security arrangements.
According to police and project sources, the fuel was transported from Dhaka under a special security protocol. Traffic movement along parts of the highway was temporarily restricted to prevent congestion during the convoy's passage.
Project officials said 163 uranium fuel assemblies for the plant's second unit were scheduled to arrive in seven shipments. Another 48 assemblies for refuelling the first unit were expected in two shipments. The latest consignment is the third shipment for the second unit.
Seven more flights carrying fuel from Russia are planned for November and December. The shipments are expected to transit through Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
Russia's state nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, has said the fuel supply process is expected to be completed by December.
Fuel for the plant's first unit arrived in Bangladesh on September 29, 2023, followed by four additional shipments in October and November that year. Fuel loading in the first unit's reactor was completed in May this year.
The first unit will require the replacement of about one-fourth of its fuel after approximately 18 months of operation. A shipment of additional fuel for the unit arrived at Rooppur on October 3, while the second shipment for the second unit reached the project site on October 21.
Under the agreement, Russia will supply fuel for the plant during its first three years of operation. Bangladesh will then need to import fuel for periodic replacement.
The Rooppur plant comprises two units with a combined generation capacity of 2,400MW. Although fuel loading in the first unit has been completed, electricity generation has been delayed by technical complications.
Power generation had been expected to begin this month but was postponed following a fault in a safety valve in the automatic pressure relief system. A third round of testing on the valve was completed on September 30, and project officials began the nuclear reaction process on October 11 after receiving regulatory approval, according to project sources.
Sources said the necessary tests and procedures for the first unit, including the B-2 phase of physics testing, were completed this week. The reports have been submitted to the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) for review.
After receiving final approval, the unit is expected to move to Stage C, or power startup, a key phase before electricity generation. During this stage, the plant's systems will undergo comprehensive testing to verify their functionality.
